Climbed out of the Crib

I've been letting Sarah just play in her crib instead of taking naps lately. She seems to need to be away from everyone, even if she doesn't sleep. But the other day, she played for over an hour, and so when it was quiet, I peeked in and this is what I saw. Totally freaked me out when there was no child in the crib. Now, I don't know what to do. It may be time for a toddler bed...or a bigger crib.

Happy Birthday Sarah...Happy Seventh to us...

So, two years ago, Sarah was due on our anniversary. I thought, "This child has many other days of this month to declare her birthday"...but no. At six o'clock that night, Sarah Anne was born. So, now Sarah's birthday will be the main attraction of this day...and our anniversary is kind of an afterthought, but we're happy anyway.

We had an awesome cake, and more presents than Sarah could pay attention to, but Rachel and Katie kept opening them for her anyway. She sang "Happy Birthday" to herself the whole day, and kept blowing out pretend candles. We had her two year pictures taken a couple of weeks ago, and they turned out cute.

As to our anniversary. I put together a video of us...that I cannot, for the life of me, get up and going on this blog, so you probably won't see it. But we have had seven wonderful years together and plan on having many more! The best is yet to be...

Elf Yourself!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

David's First Drink of Alcohol

David came home from work today and told me had his first drink of alcohol today.

He has an infection on his face that he has been putting rubbing alcohol on a few times a day to keep it clean. Well, he works on the computer a lot and has his water bottle there with it. So, after he had dabbed some alcohol on his face, he set the bottle down right by the water bottle. He got thirsty and unscrewed a lid, without looking, and got a mouthful of alcohol. You can imagine David flailing his arms trying to find somewhere to spit it out, finding the garbage and spitting, then walking around his office singing "ahhhhhhh" because its burning him. He runs to the bathroom, and washes his mouth out good...but its still burning...so each class period that day, he has to explain why he has to be up there with his mouth wide open.

Well, I was laughing pretty hard when he told me.

Warrior of Truth...and Crafts

Katie had a great Sunbeam lesson this week. I have never seen a class so excited. They were all made to be Stripling Warriors. The lesson was on honesty, and Katie was ecstatic to have armor for her quest. David and I are the teachers for the other Sunbeam class. We'll have to step it up to compete with these guys!

I'm not very crafty...very often. But Melanie was over for three days and talked me into making these hair bows for the girls. They turned out really cute and even Sarah will wear them, which is saying a lot because I can barely get her hair out of her face for a ponytail, let alone a hair bow. But she was so excited, she let me take a picture...that is a "cheese" she is saying for the picture.

Happy Birthday David!

David turns 33 tomorrow. We were going to wait until his birthday to celebrate, but I made the mistake of having the girls wrap his presents a day early, and they couldn't wait. So we went out for pizza and then the girls got out the presents.

I am so grateful for David. He is a wonderful Dad for our girls. They attack him everyday he gets home from work with hugs and kisses. When David is laying on the floor, the girls think its play time and start jumping on him. He is so patient with them, and always asks how they are doing or if they need anything. He is also a wonderful husband. He makes me feel beautiful. He makes me laugh. He helps with the house and kids and does it with a smile...even if the smile is tired. I just love him. Happy Birthday!

All I want for Christmas...

Yesterday morning, Rachel was brushing her teeth before she left for school, and she comes running to me smiling, with her mouth full of blood. She was yelling "My tooth!", and I was thinking, what the heck is wrong? Then I saw the big gap in her lower row of teeth. She lost her first tooth!

We were so excited, she took the little tooth in a plastic bag to school for Show and Tell. I'm sure Kindergarten teachers love that...then we called David at the Seminary and Rachel told him her news. Katie got on the phone and said that she had not lost a tooth and sounded kind of disappointed. Anyway, the other middle tooth on the bottom is loose too, so there is more fun in store!

Canning - Grand Total

Since we came to live with my parents, there has been non-stop canning. It has usually been my Mom and I doing the canning...I take that back, mainly my Mom...I try to can and be a mother at the same time. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Melanie came to help for a few days. Dad and David helped on the weekends.

Sunday night David and I talked about what we would like to bottle in the future while playing Legos with our girls. David then put together the ultimate Summer Kitchen with his stack of Legos. Its brilliant...I love that man.

This is our grand total this year.

We came here on August 15 - and we are done canning November 5.

24 qts Pickles
50 qts Green Beans

75 qts Tomato Juice

50 qts Whole Tomatoes

75 qts Spaghetti Sauce

314 qts Applesauce (that is exactly the amount, not a typo)

50 qts Peaches

48 qts Apricot juice

42 qts Apple Pie Filling

35 pnts Salsa

25 pnts Jams

That is a total of 788 bottles.

We have our last batch of bottles processing right now. Then Mom and I are going to take a nap.

3 to 1 - The little guy is outnumbered...

It's a boy! We are really excited. David and I got into the ultrasound room and there is no mistaking that we have a little boy coming. When we told the girls, Rachel and Katie were like, "Okay, we knew that." We have no idea on a name, we have always had trouble picking out boy names, and have been grateful when we didn't need to worry about it...and now we're grateful to worry about it.
Well, we don't have much to say other than, we feel blessed with every child that comes our way!

Boy or Girl?

We are going to get an ultrasound tomorrow afternoon, and we will find out if our baby is a boy or a girl. We are really excited, and I thought I would let others know of our premonitions.

Rachel is sure the baby is a boy. She wants a brother. She wants to name him Christopher Robin, Peter Pan, or Derek (from the Little Mermaid).

Katie is going along with Rachel that we will have baby boy. I don't think Katie really cares what we have though. She is just really excited that we are having a baby, and that my tummy gets bigger...she keeps saying her tummy is growing too, and that she'll get a baby too. Ahhhhh.

Sarah said its a girl. But I have a feeling she'll ignore the baby, whatever the gender...she knows she rules the house right now...and nothing will change that.

David is so happy we're having a baby that he doesn't care what we have...right answer. Honestly, David would be happy with 20 little girls running around here.

And me, well the odds say its a girl. This pregnancy has been different, so it could be boy. But I've also decided that every pregnancy is going to be different...I keep getting older, and I'm always surprised how sick and uncomfortable I can get...but I don't care. Boy or Girl, we are way excited.

Katie-isms

Katie makes our lives interesting, here are a few of my experiences lately.

In this picture, you see her wearing a cabbage patch doll's clothes. So, she got on the pants, and comes running over to me and says, "Mom, my bottom is too big!"

Well, the paranoid side of me takes over and says, "Katie, your bottom is perfect, its the pants that are too little."

She started laughing and let me take a picture.

Another story. We were done with dinner. We had a swarm of flies in the house, and Sarah screams every time she sees one, so Grandpa was swatting flies at the table. Now Katie was finished with her meal, and Grandpa got a fly and needed to get to another one quick, so he dumped the fly on her plate. Katie looks at the fly, looks at Grandpa, and very politely says, "No thank you Grandpa." What does she think we try to feed her?

Katie's favorite thing to say to us lately, "You are all very curious."

We love her!

Trips to the Dentist

Rachel and Katie went to the dentist yesterday. Now, we have always had a rough time at the dentist. Even with the show on the ceiling, the most awesome fish tank to look at, and prizes at the end. Not to mention a new toothbrush, what a life these kids have. But we've had to man handle Rachel, force her mouth open, and dread another appointment in six months.

Okay, so yesterday, David and I prepped them. Prayed with them....a lot....that they could be brave and know that the dentist is helping them. I knew they needed x-rays this time, and that thing they put in their mouth is the worst part. Anyway...I was also worried because Rachel has been complaining about her teeth hurting, which would mean more dentist appointment and more time being uncomfortable.

Well, we got there, and they were perfect. Rachel got her x-rays, then Katie. They turned on "Cars" on the ceiling and were perfect except for some shaking while they cleaned and brushed their teeth. Then I ask about the pain in Rachel's mouth, and the dentist grinned and showed me two loose teeth in the front of Rachel's mouth. She also has her six-year old molars coming in. How am I supposed to know that six year olds get molars? Or thats when they lose their teeth? I thought it was at eight or something....how am I supposed to know?

Anyway, I was so excited that they did so well, I ask them how they wanted to celebrate. They ask for a party to watch "Peter Pan" and David went and bought a lot of junk food. They didn't have any cavities, so junk food sounded perfect!

Katie's Birthday Party!

Katie had a great birthday party. The only thing she ask for was a princess birthday cake, and I can't complain with how the cake turned out. I had a picture, and a Barby doll, and a skirt looking cake pan. I decorated it myself, so I was excited Katie could actually tell it was Sleeping Beauty.

The cousins made crowns, and played a couple of games, but it was just relaxed and Katie was happy...and that's what counts. She wanted to be Snow White, and I tried to get Rachel to get in a princess dress, but she wanted to be Little Red Ridding Hood. Sarah, was Sarah, and looked cute. Brooke forgot a dress, so we decked her out in the Sleeping Beauty dress, and Wyatt was a prince, from a nearby kingdom.

She is excited to be four years old, but she told me that now she wants to be five years old...it might be a long year for us!

Heber Valley Camp Reunion

We had a great family reunion up at the Heber Valley Camp. It was freezing cold, but that was the only thing I have to complain about, that I almost froze my toes off...but I'm not complaining that it was so cold we could even talk for shivering...but all in all it was great...if you forget that there was frost on the ground each morning, but aside from that, it was cool.

We missed Stephanie a lot...serving a mission while we're all frozen in our beds. Mom gave her a run by run of all our events. We had great food...Mom is always great about the food. And I have to admit that when Garrett finally got there, things warmed up a bit. We played games in one of the cabins until late, while the kids slept, and I learned that Joseph has a colorful array of music on his cell phone that Mel couldn't stop singing..."Guy, guy, guy, guy...".

David didn't get up for the first day of camping, because of work, and I don't think I'll be going camping with the girls unless he is with me. I'll be blunt, I was a crank without him. The girls need him, and I need him. He is the best father and husband in the world...and I'm not just saying that...its true.

We got to go on a zip line (everyone who wasn't pregnant...talk about life being unfair), then the other challenge course activities were a lot of fun. Campfire activities ended up in one of the cabins because it was sooooooo cold...so there was singing and games and devotionals with the family. Afterward we went to the most wonderful indoor pool I have ever been to. The girls loved it, and we loved it. I love being with my family...they're so great...I look forward to this time each year, and even more next year because the reunion will be in August!

Idaho Falls Temple Open House

August was crazy. We went to the Idaho Falls Open House at the end of July, and I haven't had time to put it on yet.

The temple was beautiful. The girls thought it was so exciting that they could go inside the temple. My sister lives in Burley, so we spent the night and went to the open house early the next morning in Idaho Falls. The girls thought the rooms were so beautiful. The only problem was when Sarah saw the baptismal font, she made a bee line for the entrance...but we quickly moved on and narrowly escaped a scene.

The other pictures are the sights in Idaho Falls. There was a beautiful bridge to go across and it had an overlook. It was really beautiful, and it was a great time for our family.

First Day of School

Monday was Rachel's first day of school! I took her to school her first day, and handed her over to her teacher...being very clear that Rachel did not know how to get on the bus...she just looked me in the eyes and said, "Don't worry, we'll take very good care of her."

So, I hugged Rachel and said goodbye, and started tearing up that my little girl was going to school. Rachel just smiled and said, "Bye Mom!". She was ready.

I got home, and the rest of the afternoon, Katie and I sat outside and waited for the bus to drop her back off. Katie was so excited that Rachel got to ride a bus, and Rachel loved it. Today was the second day of school, and she rode the bus to and from school. I keep telling myself I'll get used to her being independent, not having her by me every second...but I miss her...and she is only away for a few hours each day! I know its part of life...I'll be okay...I'm just trying to get used to trusting other people with our most precious possessions.

Rachel loves it, that makes it easier, and she's making Katie crazy for school. Think it will continue for the next 15 years?

A Ward Family

There are certain things in a family that are essential. Mom, Dad, children....but there is also a sense of love and belonging in a family. A place where you can "bear one anothers burdens", make relationships with brothers and sisters, serve and make time for each other.

We had a wonderful ward family in Logan. I wanted to have pictures of all of those wonderful people who our family grew to love and depend on. These are a few. We will miss our ward like crazy. We were given many opportunities to serve, but also, I grew to love the sisters and depend on their love in return. David felt a great camaraderie with the brothers in the ward. David and I had many friends that moved in and out in the four years we lived there, and each one has changed us for the better. I love life. Heavenly Father has created such a wonderful plan for us to grow and develop. We will miss you BP2!