Merry Cristmas

Think Blue

WOW! What a surprise. I just learned that I am pregnant. This literally came as a shock to me because I do not have cycles when I am nursing and I was using contraceptives but I kept getting nauseous as well as other symptoms so I took a pregnancy test this week and what do you know but it tells me I will have three kids under the age of 3!

Travis didn't take the news lightly either. He informed me that this time he refuses to come to the ultrasound. If it is a boy I am allowed to call him but if it isn't,
"just drive yourself straight form the Doctor's office to your mom's house and stay with her until the delivery!" Thanks for the support Hon! Well I can enjoy my home for at least 11 more weeks.

Fall Festivities

Yes, we've been out of town again. Ever since my mom married and went to Farmington, Utah I can't get enough of that place. We have been there once a month since April. I love to go visit her because it is green and beautiful, it is cooler and they have great shopping. My favorite part is that it is family friendly with tons of community places and activities for kids. And of course, my mom is there. The girls had a blast doing all of the fall festivities such as cornbellies at Thanksgiving Point, Gardner Village and two birthday costume birthday parties. Here are some pics...






Avery's Halloween line this year:

Grandma: well Avery are you ready to go home?

Avery: No, my bag isn't heavy yet, it's not full. See!

Birthday time for Avery!

Avery is turning 3 and it's a very special day.

ABC: It's Me

ABC, IT'S ME!
A- Attached or single: Attached

B- Best Friends: Outside of my marriage; my Mom and my sister, Shelley.

C-Cake or Pie: Pie.

D- Day of choice: Um, Saturday because Travis is home more!

E- Essential Item: Chocolate.

F- Favorite Color: PINK.

G- Gummi Bears or Worms: Yuck!

H- Hometown: Las Vegas

I- Indulgence(s): Chocolate

J- January or July: July

K- Kids: Avery and Madelyn

L-Life is Incomplete Without: Family and chocolate...

M- Marriage Date: August 4, 2001

N- Number of Siblings: 2

O- Oranges or Apples: Oranges

P- Phobias or Fears: AHH! SPIDERS!

Q- Quotes: Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be the miracle.
- Thomas S. Monson

R- Reason To Smile: When the girls are sleeping. I'd shout but then I'd wake them. Watching them sleep always makes me smile.

S- Season: Spring

T- Tag Two: Natalie and Heather Benson

U- Unknown Fact About Me: I like to play Back Gammon with my husband and it can keep us up all night.

V- Vegetarian or Meat Eater: Where's the beef?

W- Worst Habit: Chocolate

X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: ultrasounds.

Y- Your Favorite Food: Does desert count? If not, Roasted Chicken Pita!

Z- Zodiac: Gemini

FALL

When we go to visit my mom I always love to stop at Thanksgiving Point. It is a fabulous, fun family place to be. This last trip I went with my Mom and new step sisters and their kids whos kids are the same ages as mine and I love it.

Avery's Room

This is another paper mache letter that I did in Avery's room. While I was taking a picture of it I decided to take pictures of her room too. It is nearly finished which is quite remarkable for me because I have a difficult time completing projects. I start so many projects with out finishing them. It has been nearly a year since I started Avery's room. Last month I finally got nightstands which were old antiques I had refinished. Now I am waiting on a dresser. I'm not sure how I am going to fit it in the room now. When we first moved to this house this room seemed so large. Now I have it stuffed so full it looks small. This is a really fun room and I thought it would fit Avery's personality but Madelyn loves it even more than Avery. That's great though because they will have to share it soon. I think it is good for kids to share rooms.

BOO!

This is my Halloween project. It was really fun, really simple, and really cheap. I came up with the idea a couple of months ago but finally got around to completing it today. It wasn't what I originally had in mind but I think it still turned out cute...

Uh Oh!

It seems to me that Madelyn is doing everything about 3 months sooner than Avery did. Little Miss has figured out how to go up the stairs, open the cupboards, and enjoys unrolling the toilet paper. This week she has even begun walking. Only three maybe four steps and then falls to the ground but I know it won't be long...

Dance With Me

I am not a photographer for sure. I tried to take pictures of this sweet moment but they are terrible. Still, I must post them for the sake of remembering this precious moment...

Avery has always seemed a non girly girl and that has quite pleased Travis. But lately it's all about dresses, shoes and princesses. We were both caught off guard the other day when she saw an outfit and said, "oh that's cute!" I love it, Travis dreads it.

A few days ago Avery put this dress on and her little pink shoes. Then she told me she was a princess, went down stairs and asked Daddy to dance with her. I can only recall twice when Travis ever danced with me but how could he refuse a "princess".

Activity Box

This is an activity box that I made for Avery for sacrament. I decorated a tin box and each week we fill it with a coloring activity, treats and a magnet activity. She loves it. She now loves going to church. I try to get us ready really early and our Sunday goes so much smoother. She is always telling me, "mom, are you ready yet. Let's go to church!" She loves dressing up. This particular Sunday she was just too cute. The hair with the headband, the bracelets, the glasses and of course the shoes. She is so much fun.

Since we've been gone...

Travis had shoulder surgery at the end of August. This is week 5 post surgery and he is anxious to get back in the game. He has done a lot better than I thought he would. I remember that when we were in high school he broke his hand but still played basket ball. I didn't think even surgery would keep him down but he has done really well. His new game is Back Gammon until he can get back onto the greens.






This picture is so Avery. She is little miss independent. "I can do it on myself!" she tells us. She loves wearing crazy socks. What a riot. The other day she was with Travis while I was out for something. Knowing that dad would not likely consent to her having a cookie she cleverly asked him for milk. When he got out the sippy to poor it in she protested that she wanted a big glass. So, of course she got a big glass. As she went to sit down at the table she said, " oh dad, how 'bout a cookie for my milk." Man, she knows how to work it.





These are some pictures from our trip to Farmington this month. One special thing that my mom does is decorate for the Holidays. This is particularly exciting for Avery and when we went up there this last trip my mom, Brooke and Avery prepared the house for Halloween.

I miss my Mom terribly since she married and moved away; but at least she moved to a great place. Farmington is absolutely beautiful. Her new husband, Brent, has a lot of fruit trees. Avery has enjoyed cherry picking and now peaches. They also have a walnut tree, plums, pears, and apples. Our summer trips have greatly contributed to Avery's strong appreciation for fruit. This trip we made peach jam. I wish I took a picture of that. Avery loves to pick the fruit from the trees and the vegetables from the neighbors garden. We love to go visit in the summer and fall. I don't think we will make it up there too often in the winter though.

So that was September...

I'ts been so long...

Utah State Fair

Being without a computer for some time has actually brought quite a bit of peace to my life. I didn't realize how much time I spend on this thing. I am finding it difficult to get back into the blogging world but because this blog serves as a journal I kind of wanted to jot some highlights down about the girls this month.

Avery (2 years old) : Target toy isle, "Mom, I like this place, I think I'd love to live here!".
Avery- "Mom, I want my own credit card!"

Madelyn 8 mo old: top central incisors are coming in, I can gather enough hair on top to put it into a small pony tail, she's climbing up stairs (that means falling down them too), and she has learned to free stand.

CRASH

We have been having technical difficulties with our computer. It has been in to someone to retrieve and back up our files as it is nearing its life sentence. That really stinks too because we have only had it for three years. It seems to me that a computer should last longer than that. It is a Dell and top of the line at that. I knew we should have got the MAC. I think Travis is convinced too. Any opinions or suggestions out there.

So, that is why I haven't posted in so long and that is also why it may be hit and miss with posts and blogging depending on the reliability of the computer and when we decide to replace it.

This one is for Brooke

Sorry Brooke, Our computer has been inoperable for nearly two weeks now.
Here they are,

7 things that top my list for making me nearly insane,

7. When the computer runs slow. And when your computer isn't working.

6. People who think they know everything and have to be the center of every conversation. You know, the ones that love to hear themselves talk.

5. Public restrooms. I try to avoid them at all cost. Having a toddler in training has somewhat broke me free of this obsession.

4. Doing my hair. It is a necessary evil that I do at least half of the time but I hate to do my hair.

3. "I'm bored" This is the one thing I hate to hear. I don't know that I have ever in my life been bored and when someone tells me that they are bored they aren't going to get any sympathy from me. There is too much to do and enjoy in this life that to waste it being bored.

2. Lines. I hate standing in line but particularly at the grocery store.

1. People who drive the speed limit and under. Please get out of my way...

Now it is Morgan's turn and Natalie.

Avery and Madelyn's new favorite activity

In loving memory of James E. Faust...

"It is a denial of the divinity within us to deny our potential and possibilities."

-James E. Faust

Wake up Daddy!

Every morning Avery walks around the house saying it's a beautiful morning. I don't know how Trav and I ended up with "morning birds" for kids but we are not morning people. The exception would be a golf day. Travis will get up at any time for golf . Anyway, I usually try to keep the girls quiet until Travis gets up and ready for work. This can be very difficult because they are usually up between 5:30 and 6 and Travis doesn't get up until 8:15 or so. Yesterday morning Avery made it past me and when I came in this is what I found...

My day from &*%^!

5:30 wake up so engorged I am a leaky mess.
Madelyn still has a fever I 'm still sick too!
Go to change baby's very messy diaper to find that the sitter gave Avery a Popsicle last night, no big deal but Avery let it melt into the carpet. So I have a bright blue stain to get out. Proceed to the laundry room to get stain remover. Soak it down and scrub. Darn still there. I then head for my KIRBY shampooer to find that my $45 bottle of carpet solution for the machine is empty. But wait, this is a new bottle? It had a whole in the bottom of it and at some previous time leaked all over my shelves in the laundry room warping the wood shelf and leaving a disastrous dry soapy mess. As I am about to loose it I yell,"AHHHHH! I'm about to start dropping some major cuss words" Unfortunately Travis was standing nearby with the phone in hand for me; it was my visiting teacher supervisor who now thinks I am psycho I'm sure.
I spent an hour trying to shampoo my carpets and I don't know what I did wrong but it wasn't right. I go to make lunch and of course Avery wants mac and cheese and she wants to help, as always. She has helped before and always manages to spill the macaroni all over when pouring it into the pan of course this time I am warning her how not to do that and I accidentally spilt the whole box of noodles across the kitchen floor. I finally get dressed for the day when the kids go down for a nap. They start to wake up but I am doing some touch up painting around the house upstairs. (What was I thinking?) With the day already starting out this bad I should have guessed this was not a good time try and tackle this right now. So what happened? I spilt paint all over me and all over the carpets that I just shampooed. AHHH @!#W$%&^*&.
While I was making dinner Avery spilt a glass of pineapple juice then at dinner she spilled her water twice. She tried to help me make desert tonight too but spilt that twice as well.
Then, oh yes, we're not done yet... I am putting Avery to bed and of course we always go potty before bed. Where she got this idea I have no clue but she peed on her hand! Yes, on purpose! As I am walking into the bathroom to help her wipe she is giggling (my first hint) then she exclaims, "look mom, I am peeing on my hand!" Then, she reaches up and wipes it on me! AHHHHH ^**(*^#(*$^!

What a day! I'm going to bed.

P.S. Thanks for letting me vent.

Happy Anniversary!

Sitting on Top of the World Stratosphere Tower

6 years ago today...

Six years ago today! Hubby has dinner planned for the two of us he won't tell me where though. I have to admit that it impressed me that he made dinner reservations and arranged for a sitter. I certainly didn't expect it. I have the flu right now so as far as I was concerned we were just going to stay home this year but now that he made these arrangements I just can't resist, I think this is a first for him. WOW!

Our mid-week family excursion!

This week Travis and I needed to travel to St. George for a little business. If you don't know already my hubby is a huge golfer and has always wanted to golf at Entrada which is a private course but he learned that if you stay at their "Inn at Entrada" you can golf

there and have use of all their amenities while staying so we made a family event of it. It was a cute little Pueblo style studio that we rented and loved. The girls loved it too. We arrived late Tuesday

night and noticed through the blinds that we were off one of the wholes and right on a water trap so we went outside to check out the view. Avery got so excited, she looked up and said, "oh! look at the stars!" then she laid in the grass

with her hands behind her head and her legs crossed. It was so stinkin' cute that I had her replicate the photo the next morning. Travis loved the golf and Avery loved riding in the cart. I loved being away from home for a few days.

If anyone is looking for a great, quick getaway, this could be the

place. It is right next to Tuachan the outdoor amplitheater and Snow Canyon with breathtaking views

and great hiking. Today is our anniversary and I kind of wish we were back there just the two of us. Oh well.