Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Seth has had the past week completely off from school and work (and boy did we all need the break). I had gotten so used to having him gone all the time that I have been carefully guarding this time with him like it is gold. We have had family to visit, parties to attend and long lists of things to get done, so the time has passed way too quickly, but it has been nice to carve out time for just our "little family" here and there!

Monday night was one of those "little family" times and, thanks to my step-sister, we were able to enjoy free admission to Zoolights on Monday and, thanks to my step-brother, free hot chocolate while we were there! It was freezing cold and I was walking pretty fast for a lady who is about to have a baby, but I found myself wishing that we could just bottle up the time together and do it again!

Chloe has become a complete "daddy's girl"! I go to put her in bed, change her diaper, start unbuckling her car seat to get her out or even get her some juice and she says, "No, Daddy do it!" in her obstinate and demanding way. She constantly wants Seth to hold her and, as we speak, she is bundled up outside in the freezing cold riding her cozy coupe from Grandma Becky and Grandpa John, just to be closer to Daddy (who is wiring our garage with electricity - what an awesome guy!).

I am so proud of Seth for all he does! I don't know how he has managed to pull of this first semester of school while working full time, but he passed all of his classes (YAY!) and has still managed to find time to be an amazing dad, show love and support to his far-too-ambitious pregnant wife, fulfill his church calling, and maintain our house and yard! Thanks for being so awesome sweetie - we love you!

So, that's why I haven't been posting lately. I've been too busy spending time with the love of my life while I have him all to myself - well, kind of! Don't worry though, he is back to work tomorrow, so I'm sure I'll be able to post about Christmas morning, the joy of Santa, singing Christmas songs, traditions, Christmas Cards, celebrations with family and friends, snowy adventures...etc. etc.

Sugarhouse Santa

So, this is the last of my posts for today - not caught up, but at least I'm trying!

Yesterday we ventured out in the snowstorm to see the Sugarhouse Santa in his little cottage. My mom met us there to help me deal with the kids while I took pictures (THANKS again, Mom) and then we met up with Uncle Michael and Sarah afterward for lunch at the soup kitchen...mmmm!

Morgan just hopped right up on Santa's lap and started telling him what he wanted, as usual, and Santa had to stop him to make sure he had been a good boy this year. After Morgan informed him that he had, indeed, been good, Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas

"I want a farm with animals that make noises, and a farmer who drives the tractor that makes noises." He wanted to be sure that Santa knew exactly what farm he was talking about so he didn't leave out any of the details.

"Do you like surprises, too?" Santa asked.

"No." Morgan replied. Good to know...apparently as long as he gets the farm, he'll be a happy camper!

Chloe was very sweet with Santa after he gave her the candy cane, which she opened immediately, but did not want to sit on his lap. She screamed, I took pictures, and Santa was a good sport!

She did tell him, "Thank you for the candy cane," though and gave him some smiles, when not on his lap, so hopefully Santa will still drop by our house on Christmas Eve.

Thanksgiving Point Lights

We went to the lights at Thanksgiving Point for the first time this year and I have to say, it was delightful! We watched ELF in the car on the way up, turned on the Christmas tunes in our nice warm car, paid our $7 and enjoyed a lovely display of lights without a second of freezing in the cold. The kids were mesmerized and we had so much fun talking about the different lights and singing songs about them. Then, after being totally blitzed with the secular side of Christmas, the very end was a drive through the story of the birth of the Savior with beautiful illustrations and the words of "This is the Season" from the Primary songbook. So worth it.

And, to top it all off, we got to park by the tower and see some reindeer - Comet and Blitzen, I believe! Oh, and yes, that look of surprise on Chloe's face in the pictures - that was there the entire time! My camera battery died after I took these pictures, but they did get to touch the reindeer's antlers and get up really close to them. Very cool! I totally recommend it!

Backseat Movies and Other Happy Joys

I know I never posted pictures of my lovely car and it is just because I am a slacker and forget to take pictures every time it is clean - I have 2 children and it is winter and the holidays so that doesn't happen all that often. So, still no pictures, however, I have to mention, yet again, how much I love it! I still get little excitement butterflies every time I drive it - especially with gas being so inexpensive everywhere right now. A few of my favorite things about it are...

1. Backseat Movies: I never wanted a DVD player in my car because I figured that it would just be another way for my kids spend time in front of the tube, which it is, in reality. That said, it is the most wonderful thing to be able to get everyone happily into the car from somewhere they don't want to leave based solely on the fact that they will get to watch a movie. Long drives are so much nicer - especially when Seth is in the car - because the kids can watch the movie and we can actually have a conversation in the front seat, uninterrupted! I do limit how often we turn it on and frequently use it as a reward for good behavior or take away the privilege as a punishment. All things considered - I love it!

2. Remote Start: If you do not have remote start in your car and you live in Utah, you should really invest. It is the greatest thing in the world! Yesterday I lost my remote start clicker going to see Santa in the mess of a snowstorm, much to my dismay, and all day today I was wishing I had my new one already (don't you worry, after looking all over for it in the snow, I had a new one ordered less than an hour after returning home - plus an extra one for Seth, just 'cause I love him)! It is particularly nice to be able to get the car started and kids loaded and be able to run back inside quickly for whatever you inevitably forgot - all while the doors are locked and you have keys in hand! So amazing!

3. Heated seats: Oh, how I love a warm bum!

4. Room for 8: So, yeah, we don't have 8 of us in the family, but with Seth in Young Men's and me in Young Women's we have filled the car to capacity a number of times already. It is so nice to be able to fit 3 carseats in the middle row when we have an extra kid in tow, or be able to fit Grandma and Grandpa comfortably in the backseat on the way to the Polar Express. Plus, there is still room for all our stuff in the back. Is this what it will feel like to live in a house with storage rooms, a pantry and enough rooms for all the family members?

5. 4WD: Driving in the snow is a breeze - never stuck, never sliding, never scared to death - enough said!

The Polar Express

Yay! I am finally checking something off my list of stuff to blog!

On Monday the 8th, Grandma Becky and Grandpa John treated the kids (and Seth and me) to a ride on the Polar Express. The kids got to wear their jammies and Seth was sad that the adults didn't get to wear theirs - I'm a party pooper, I know. (Sidenote: Mom, you need to send me the pictures of all of us before boarding the train so I can post them!)

After picking up our tickets and boarding the train, we all snuggled into our seats to get "comfortable" - a term I use loosely and if you have ever been you know what I mean - and take some pictures. After everyone was on board, we headed out for the North Pole to pick up Santa Clause! We had hot chocolate and Mrs. Clause's chocolate-chip cookies served by elves and cooks, read The Polar Express and sang some Christmas songs.

Finally, out the window of the train we saw him - SANTA!!! He boarded our car (the caboose) first and the Kids were so excited to get to see him. Morgan didn't even say "hi" when he got to us, he just said, "I want a farm with anumals that make noises!" - maybe I had prepped him about what you tell Santa a little too well! Santa gave each of the kids a Christmas bell from his sleigh and then the elves came around and told us which reindeer each bell was from. Chloe didn't hand hers over, but Morgan's bell was from Dancer.

The ride home was much shorter which was good because the kids were getting pretty ansty. We sang Christmas carols and even had a visit from Mrs. Clause right as we were pulling into the station.

We had so much fun and the kids really enjoyed it. Thanks Grandma Becky and Grandpa John!!!

P.S. Sorry for all the random photo treatments - I have been having too much fun playing in photoshop!

Lonely

Well, I am almost finished with all of my "pending" projects so I can get back to blogging all the stuff on my list, but in the meantime I thought I'd give you an update.

Roxy is gone to "try out" her new home for the weekend. It has been nearly 24 hours and luckily I have kept busy enough today to only get emotional about it a couple of times. The first was this morning when I let Callie in from going potty - the realization that there were only 4 little feet to wipe off put me right over the edge and I sat on the stairs sobbing. Ironically, wiping dog feet to avoid wet, muddy footprints all over the house is one of my least favorite chores - especially since bending over to do it is not all that comfortable in my very pregnant state.

Callie isn't sure what to think of the whole thing. She has been peeking out the front window more frequently today, wondering where her buddy is. I don't think she minded having room to spread out at the foot of our bed this morning though, and she has been significantly better behaved and easy to manage today.

Morgan seems fine with the whole thing, but Chloe keeps calling Callie, "Roxy Roo", which kind of breaks my heart. I keep reminding myself how happy Roxy probably is at her new home, but it is still a little lonely here without her. Funny that after all the extra work, effort and energy that sweet "puppy" has required of me, she still has a big place in my heart. Part of me wouldn't be too disappointed if she didn't behave during her weekend away and ended up coming back home.

Bowling

I know I have a list of stuff I've gotta blog, but tonight we went bowling and it was hillarious! My Grandma Colleen throws a big family Christmas party every year - we all get PJs (including and significant others or guests - not just family members), the young cousins do a gift exchange and get to swing at the piniata and we have lots of fun! After all of these festivities at Grandma's house, we were off to the bowling alley. All of the younger kids were on a lane together with bumpers and one of those Special Olympics ramps. I must mention here that this was a lot of work for the parents: good, because all of the kids got have bumper lanes and the cool ramp, but bad because most parents were back and forth between their game and their child's game or entertaining their child until it was his or her turn again. Patience is not a common virtue in children 4 and under!

Seth totally biffed it while bowling his first round which was pretty hillarious in and of itself, but the highlight was later in the night when Morgan started getting bored with the ramp and wanted to be more creative. I saw him headbutt the ball down the ramp (ouch!), release the ball behind him as he slid down the lane, make our lane look like a pinball machine with the ball bouncing between the bumpers, push the ball under his legs backwards - v e r y s l o w l y, and by the end I saw him throw it with some pretty good spin and even get a spare all on his own!

By the time the "kid lane" finished their first game, most were way past done (Morgan and Chloe being the exceptions) and we had already paid for a whole other game, so we got to waste some frames. Even though I had decided, in my very pregnant state, to forgo my bowling game, I got to take a couple of turns and even got a spare or 2! Woo Hoo! We also didn't get Chloe her own game since we weren't sure if she'd be interested, but once she started pushing her ball down the ramp, she was hooked. She was really unhappy about having to let other people have a turn though and kept pushing the ramp into the way while people were trying to bowl. She also escaped about 1/3 of the way down the lane and Grandma Becky had to go chasing after her. Good times!

I am a complete slacker and had a dead camera battery, so no pictures, but you will have to take my word for it - bowling with kids is hillarious...but never attempt to play more than one game, especially when it is already past bedtime! Thanks for the fun times Grandma!

Stuff I Gotta Blog

Things are crazy busy around here - as I am sure they are for you too - so blogging is taking a back seat (thus my many very short posts). Since I am officially experiencing full-fledged pregnancy brain, and I'll probably forget by the time I get back to these posts, I am sharing my "blogging to do list" so you can keep me accountable!

1. The Polar Express excursion with Grandma Becky and Grandpa John complete with LOTS of pictures!
2. Holiday Decor (I promised Holli I would do her home details tag and this is how I'm gonna get it done)
3. Lights at Thanksgiving Point
4. Movies in the Car
5. Non-Christmas Card

So, hold on to your hats because as soon as I get finished with neighbor gifts, completing Christmas gift projects, and finishing up the enormous freelance work projects I am in the middle of, I will be back to the "real" blog posts. And in the meantime - I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season!

Don't Forget...

The other night when Seth was putting the kids to bed and I was leaving for young womens, I yelled, "I love you!" down the stairs before I headed out the door. Before I had even pulled out of the driveway, my cell phone rang and on the other end Seth informed me that Morgan was very sad I hadn't said, "I love you!" before I left - apparently he hadn't heard me yell. So, I said those three precious words and in return I heard the sweet sound of a 3-year-old boy saying, "I love YOU, Mommy!"

Note to self: These are the kind of moments I never want to forget!

Recovered

Thanks to my sweet sweet wonderful husband (who I know could use a break himself), I am feeling recovered from my exhaustion today. I didn't get an extra couple hours of sleep, a day at the spa, or even a night away, just relief from doing the bedtime routine and the breakfast routine for one night and the following morning. I feel like a new woman - refreshed, uplifted and ready to take on the world...or at least my neighbor gifts and unfinished freelance projects!

Exhausted

A one word description of how I feel today

...

Is it bedtime yet?

Giving Gifts

Morgan has really gotten into gift-giving this year. He loves picking out presents for family and friends and is very thoughtful about choosing something they will like. He has been so selfless as we have gone out shopping and seems to really understand the spirit of giving. He gets so excited to wrap up the gifts so people can open them and can't wait to see them do so.

Today, I had the pleasure of helping him make a card to send with his gift to his cousin Alex and it really was a treat. He cut the green paper himself with regular and decorative scissors, glued everything to the card, wrote Alex's name (with a little help) and his own name (without help) and even colored the inside of the card. (Sorry for the preview, Nichol...at least the present is wrapped so it will be a surprise!)

I am so proud of all the skills he is developing in preschool and so glad to see his excitement for learning. He comes home so excited to practice writing his letters, using scissors to cut various shapes and even using glue (often when he should be taking a nap, to my dismay). If he is down in his room playing, there is a good chance he has gotten out the art supplies to write, color, cut and glue - just because he thinks it is fun!

I love the person he is becoming - his thoughtfulness and caring heart, his compassion and sensitivity for others, his meticulous interest in and memory for people's names, his excitement about prayer and reading scriptures and his desire to make everyone feel loved and included. I am so glad to be his Mom!

A Daily Occurence

Chances are good that if you were to stop by the Tate house, this is what you would find...

Two little Tater-tots snuggled together reading books or coloring/writing letters.

Awww...it just warms my heart!

Light at the End of the Tunnel...

I only wish I were talking about Seth's schooling, but alas, it is just the approach of the monumental task of finishing my Christmas decorating! The ornaments still need to be hung on the tree, I still need to find a place for the table that used to be where the tree is, and we need to put up Morgan's Christmas "Tree" in his room, not to mention cleaning up the mess that it has made to get decorations out and up, but we are getting there - finally!

All of the lights are up - on the house, on the tree, on the mini trees, on all of the garlands - the nativity is front and center, the Christmas CDs are in the stereo, the Santa's are in position, the stockings are hung, the mistletoe is ready for use, the Snowmen are happy to greet all who venture downstairs, and the holiday dishes are clean and ready to be displayed! Whew! Now, if I could just stand up, I could get it all finished and put away the boxes! :)

Don't worry - pictures will come when everything is done!

Bedside Books Tag

I was tagged to list the books at each of my family members' bedsides, but nobody in this house really keeps books by their bedside other than scriptures (Seth and I keep our scripture quads on our nightstands, and Morgan has his picture Book of Mormon as well as his Book of Mormon stories board book which should be in Chloe's room).

We do most of our reading in the living room, so that is where our latest "reading material" is strewn. Unfortunately, I have been decorating and cleaning all day, so I am going to have to give you the rundown of today's books mostly from memory...

Seth...
This is tricky because he uses his commute-time and walking across campus time to listen to audiobooks for his leisure reading, and I have absolutely no idea what he is listening to right now. I do have to move his enormous Pathophysiology book and various other textbooks out of my living room almost daily, though. Plus, I am pretty sure I put away his Aaronic Priesthood lesson manual today too.

Jen...
I am a slacker! I am an avid reader and read a rediculous amount every day...however, all of that reading is from magazines, blogs and children's books. Here is my latest reading material strewn throughout the house. Ensigns and New Eras, Parenting magazine, Parents Magazine, Simple Scrapbooks Magazine, Creating Keepsakes Magazine, Redbook Magazine, Digital Scrapbooking Magazine, No Doubt About It by Sheri Dew (I have been "reading" this book forever! I don't think I will ever get through it). I also have Behold Your Little Ones (the new nursery manual) in my queue of things to read.

Now to the easy part!!!

Morgan...
Snowmen at Christmas (Caralyn Buehner)
Snowmen at Night (Caralyn Buehner)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Dr. Seuss)
King Bidgood's In The Bathtub
The Cat in the Hat (Dr. Seuss)
Sesame Street (That one is in Morgan's room where he is sleeping, but I can tell you it was brought to you by the letter "F" and the number "4")
Arthur's Baby (Marc Brown)

Chloe...
What's Bigger than Me? (Baby Einstein)
Go Dog Go (full length by PD Eastman)
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish (Dr. Seuss)
Touch and Feel Christmas
Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? (Dr. Seuss)
Goodnight Moon (Margaret Wise Brown)
Once Upon a Potty (Alona Frankel)
Little People Go to School Lift the Flaps

And those are all ones they/we read today alone (most could have been on either Morgan or Chloe's list) - and I am positive I have left a few out. So, despite my neglect for my own reading, I am not failing my children completely in the reading department.

Anyone who feels so inclined...blog your bedside books - I am sure to see it because your blog is something I will actually read! Oh, and Seth - feel free to add any books that are on your figurative bedside!

An Unusual Date Night

Since Seth is the Young Men's president and I am the 2nd counselor in the Young Women's presidency, we both have to be at our ward's youth activities each week. I don't say this to complian as I am grateful that we both fulfill our callings in the same block of time, but it is still another night of the week that we don't get to see each other at all (bringing that total to 4 on a really good week when he isn't busy doing homework the other 3). But, the first week of the month brings a happy surprise - a combined activity! That means for a couple of hours we get to do something together - even if there are a bunch of teenagers and often our kids, with us. Last night, our combined activity was especially great because Seth's family watched the kids and our activity started early and went late - not to mention that it involved dinner, shopping and Temple Square lights. That probably sounds like a pretty pathetic date night to most of you, but sometimes you just take what you can get!

In a way it takes me back to our dating days. We really didn't go on many "dates" (in fact I could probably count our official dates over the entire year and a half we dated on two hands) but we spent a lot of time doing fun things together with a lot of other people, juggling the responsibility for the success of the activity and usually as the only ones in a "relationship". As we spent time together doing service projects, finding unique and inexpensive ways to have fun and reaching out to others, we grew even closer as we found time for each other amidst it all. I could certainly be better about that now, after 5 years of marriage and mothering 2 kids! I am grateful for the calling I had then and for the one I have now and even more grateful to share the joy of serving with my sweet hubby!

The Hustle and Bustle has Begun

Last night we went to Temple Square with my cousins and their kids. We had so much fun riding trax, looking at the lights and spending time together, but it sure is a lot of work! Of course I toted the camera along, so here are some pictures from our FHE outing!

At least we are all looking at the camera

Morgan taking in the lights

Chloe was happy to look at lights as long as she got to drink my Dr. Pepper.The boys!This was the face Chloe made when we put her up on the bench for pictures. Is my hubby a phenominal photographer, or what?

On a totally unrelated note, Morgan has gotten to be such a big helper! Today he and Chloe were taking a bath while I dried my hair and by the time I was done, he had washed her from head to toe - including hair, and was so sweet and patient and encouraging, that she didn't cry about it once. I heard him saying, "Okay, stand up so we can wash your bum and your tummy... I am going to dump some water on your head to get your hair wet, so close your eyes...OK, now hold still so I can get all of your hair clean...You are doing so well, Chloe...Just one more cup of water and we'll be all done!" I have to say, I was so glad for the help - bending over the bathtub to do the washing is getting to be quite a challenge lately!

The Madness Must Stop!

I admit that I am behind the times - I have not even cracked open a page of Twilight or any of the books in the series - Seth has even read (well, listened to the audiobook anyway) Twilight, so I know I am in trouble! That said, I have also not seen the movie.

What I have done is read all of my wonderful blogging buddies blog posts about said books and movie. While that should not make me feel like I know all about the books and movie, you are all very descript about different things, so I pretty much feel like I could summarize either and be fairly accurate. Now, I am not complaining - I choose to read the posts and blogs I read and I think it is the perfect venue to share your thoughts, passions, and opinions about whatever you want - especially is there are many who can relate.

However, last night I dreamed about Twilight - yep, that's right - an entire night of dreams, nightmares almost, about a book I've never read and a movie I've never seen! So, all I am saying is that I hope the hype is over and we can move back to blogging about the cute things our kids say, the fun holiday events and traditions we are enjoying, our political views, the drone of the every day, millions of pictures, the Utes and their upcoming bowl game, the economy, the weather - anything really, just no more Twilight!

To all of you wonderful blogging buddies of mine who have recently posted about the Twilight Movie - please do not be offended by this post. I don't hold you or your blog responsible for my insanity! Glad you liked/disliked the movie...maybe one day I will read the series...but until then, I'd just like to go back to dreaming about shows I have actually seen.

So Sweet

Isn't this kid just adoreable?

Now if only I could get him to take a nap today...

Classical Music and a Good Book

I wish I could say that this was how I spent my morning, but alas, it isn't my life, it's Chloe's.

When Morgan went off to preschool today, I decided to send the dogs outside and get my kitchen and all of my upstairs floors clean. This meant that Chloe got to play in her room on her own. I peeked in to check on her every time I passed by her door, and there she was, reading books in her rocking chair with 89.1 serenading her with classical music (she turned on her stereo by herself, mind you).

She is learning to enjoy the finer things of life at a very early age! Enjoy it while it lasts sweet girl...one day you'll be the one mopping the floors!

Picture Palooza

I realize it has been a while since I posted, so I am making up for it with lots of pictures to get you up to speed on our lives! Yipee!

I made Thanksgiving dinner for my Dad and brothers last Sunday and it turned out delicious, but I was so busy cooking that I didn't get a chance to take any pictures. Thanks for all of your comments and suggestions. I posted most of the recipes I used on the recipe blog if you want to check them out.

Last Tuesday was my youngest brother's Eagle Court of Honor. I am so proud of him and so grateful for all he does for me. He is so great with my kids and such a good example to them, not to mention that he takes Morgan out with him on Sunday afternoons and cleans my car for me - just because it is dirty (this cold weather is really putting a damper on that one)!


This is what I find my kids doing all day long during their play time...

They love to raid the library bag and read those books, but they I also find them in their rooms unloading the bookshelves as they find more and more books to read. Sometimes they each have their own book that they are "reading" (in reality it is just reciting, but they both get an awful lot of words right!), sometimes Morgan is reading to Chloe, and sometimes they even have stuffed animals and dolls that they are reading too! I love watching their love for reading blossom almost as much as I love reading all of my favorites to them from when I was a kid - and remembering most of the words by heart!

For Thanksgiving, Seth played football with the Young Men of our ward in the morning while I made Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins for breakfast (thanks Angie - they were delicious!) and then I turned on the parade for the kids. We made a quick stop for some early "Black Friday" deal shopping which resulted in a free pumpkin pie - yay! We went to Grandma Tate's Thanksgiving dinner at noon. Seth had to be at work by 3, so I took the kids up to Grandma Colleen's Thanksgiving dinner after we dropped him off at home. Then, it was off to Grandma Becky's for a grandkids sleepover so I could look through the ads and plan out our Black Friday attack! I met Seth back at home around 10, we did some online shopping and went to bed around midnight. 30 minutes later, I was up sick with food poisoning...which lasted until about 4:00 when I finally was able to sleep for 30 minutes before my alarm went off and we headed out for our shopping! We got some great deals and are happy we went - even though Seth was not happy when we were leaving the house before 5. Sorry, no pictures of Thanksgiving, food poisoning or Black Friday shopping!

Last night was our annual Gingerbread house decorating party. My wonderful Aunt Marianne makes gingerbread houses for each family - more than 10 houses - and we all get together at her ward with candy and frosting in tow to create our masterpieces.

When Seth and I first started dating, I took him to the party with me and she had made us our own house to decorate. My family had a hayday teasing us and by the end of the night our house was lovingly referred to as, "The House That Love Built". The inscription was even written on the back of the house. Ever since, this has been a very important part of kicking off the holiday season for us - and don't worry - we have "given back" all the teasing you can imagine as each cousin/sibling brings their significant other to the first house decorating extravaganza!

Now that there are a bunch of little kids, it pretty much ends up being the parents who decorate the houses (moms really) while the kids run around the gym and play together. I wanted to get my kids involved in a way that was on their "level" so I started by having Morgan sort the M&Ms by color and he even helped me put a couple on the roof. I had to giggle because every one he put on had the "m" side up. He just loves to see the first letter of his name!

After we finished 2 or 3 rows of M&Ms, he was off to play. He'd periodically check back to help put in the gumdrop fence...

and place the "cobblestones" for the walkway...

but mostly he just played! He was very proud to call the gingerbread house his own after we had left, though, and was willing to pose for some pictures with the house when we got home.

He especially liked the gumdrop and candy cane mailbox...

so much that he ate it before he came in our room to wake us up this morning!

Chloe enjoyed the party for a whole different reason...the candy! She was in heaven...I was busy decorating the house, so she was free to roam the gym asking for candy from all of her aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents - who, of course, were happy to oblige! Here she is with a fistfull of sour nerds in her mouth - she ate half the box.

And here is her "candy high" face. She and her cousin Thomas were so cute sharing candy with each other. They sat together at the table for at least half an hour sharing. Chloe couldn't open the Taffy and Thomas wanted chocolate, so he would unwrap the taffy and break off a piece for her, and she would return the favor with a couple of M&Ms.
She wanted Seth to hold her and watch me decorate, he didn't notice that she had taken my decorator frosting bag and started sucking the frosting out of it until I got out the camera to take a picture though. If you have never tasted decorator frosting - it is nasty! Of course, her baby had to come along to share in the fun!

I wanted to get one picture of both kids with the house when we got home, but as soon as I stuck Chloe next to the house, she stuck her fingers in the frosting covering the "ground" which made Morgan want to do it too! Seth quickly whisked her away and said sweetly, "What cute little snow angels they made in the yard!"

How Time Does Fly

At my doctor's appointment yesterday, it really hit me how fast time has flown during this pregnancy. I know I didn't think that when I could barely move from the couch and had to take my daily Zofran to function like a normal human, but I don't know where the time has gone these past few months.

I am about 31 weeks - which is pretty far along when you consider that my pregnancies historically have only lasted 39 weeks, but what really hit me was scheduling my future appointments. I scheduled my next appointment 3 weeks out, an appointment 2 weeks beyond that, and an appointment 2 weeks beyond that - and you know what? Two weeks more would be past my due date, so those are all the appointments left this pregnancy. WOO HOO! Even the lady scheduling my appoinments was surprised that there were only that many left! "But you are so tiny!" she said - which made my day because I no longer feel tiny! I have gained a total of 21 lbs. and only have 8 weeks (fingers crossed) before this little girl gets here. Hopefully that means I will not hit the 35 lb + weight gain with this baby! :) Here's hoping!

So, I have 8 weeks to get through Thanksgiving, Black Friday shopping, Holiday parties and festivities, Christmas, sqeezing in a family "getaway" for a few days, New Years, 3 more Dr. appointments, and all the rest of my baby prep list! No biggie, right?

P.S. Thanks to everyone for their support with my doggy woes. She is a sweet girl and will be missed. I'll keep you updated on how it goes.

Bittersweet

The prospect of another child and the fact that we are staying in our tiny house for a couple more years have been weighing on my mind for the past few months.

Since Seth started school, our poor doggies have really been negected when it comes to getting out and running around (I take sole responsibility for this neglect, but give me some credit - I am 7 months pregnant and 2 kids plus 2 dogs are more than I can handle on a walk by myself - honestly, the walk itself is just about more than I can handle!). This makes for 2 very stir crazy dogs that fight playfully with each other all day long, have started barking at passerby's more frequently and are constantly wanting to go out and come back in.

So, after much reflection and thought, I suggested to Seth that it may be in everyone's best interest to find another home for one of the dogs (this was a while ago). Everyone seems to think that dog would be Callie, but, despite my recently developed fondness for her, it is actually Roxy. Callie was our first little baby and I just couldn't bear losing her. Also, while Callie is the better behaved dog at our house, Roxy is better behaved for and around other people. My thinking was that someone who took Callie in would likely not want to keep her as she is certainly a handful, but Roxy would be a joy to have in a one-dog household and would probably adjust much better. Seth was not keen on the idea at first, but after thinking it over, realized that it would really be better for everyone and agreed to put our feelers out. He did have some specific conditions, however, involving "visitation" rights and occasional opportunities to dog-sit, which narrowed the selection of possible owners to close family and friends.

I had nearly given up on the idea of becoming a 1 dog family, but last week Seth came home from work and told me about a friend at work who lives close-by and was interested in taking in our little Roxy-Roo and letting us dog-sit about once a month. It seems that she will be able to provide a great life for Roxy and give her the attention she needs and deserves. After mulling it over for a couple of days, we have decided to give it a try. We have one more week with her, before we give her up for the trial-run that will likely become permanent, and it is very bittersweet.

On one hand, I am excited to be able to answer the door while holding back only one barking dog, get rid of the kennel from our back landing, not have to break up dog-fights all day long, not have to hear growling every time one of them wants the spot the other one has, and spend less money on dog food, bones and toys. But, on the other hand, I am sure going to miss those floppy little ears, her saggy face, the warm furry ball at my feet when I get into bed, the way Chloe excitedly says, "Roxy-Roo!" whenever she sees her, and the endless doggy kisses (okay, maybe I won't miss the slobber so much). In fact, as I sit here typing, I can't help but get all teary just thinking about it. In fact often when I see her lately, I get very emotional. She has definitely become a part of our family and we will definitely feel a void when she is gone.

Red

We are wearing our colors proudly today! Morgan picked out blue pants to wear (that coordinated with the shirt he also picked out) and I made him go and change into his "UTAH" sweatshirt and tan pants! I am so glad that Seth is once again a UTE so we can be a red family through and through!

Go UTES!

A Recipe Request

In preparation for Thanksgiving, I have posted a recipe request on my recipe blog for your favorite Thanksgiving recipes and turkey tips. Since I know not everyone who reads my blog looks at the recipe blog (though you all should - it is so awesome! I know some amazing cooks who post fabulous recipes!) I thought I'd open up the request.

Click here to read the request and then post your Thanksgiving recipes on the recipe blog as a guest (Login as Username: fofguest Password: guestfof and make sure you sign your name so I know who to thank) or in the comments to this post and I will make sure they get posted on the recipe blog. If you want to be added to the recipe blog as a contributor, just email me your email address and I will send you an author invite.

I will be posting some of my family favorites as soon as I round up the recipes! Happy Cooking!

Poofy Vest Day

I love my little kids in their poofy vests!

And don't worry, there's one waiting for baby sister when she gets here !

Baby Bump - 29 weeks

Here it is, the long awaited picture of my baby bump! :) I had to a self portrait since Seth is never home when I am up for having a picture taken of my growing belly

This little girl better appreciate that I am willing to, not only take, but post these pictures for her!

The Wielding of Scissors

Morgan has come a long way since that first day of preschool only 2 months ago. I remember being scared to death watching him use scissors that day, so today when he found some scissors I had gotten for him a while back, the nerves came flooding back and I demanded that he sit in my plain view so I could prevent any chopped off finger tips. To my pleasant surprise, he has mastered the scissors...as long as he picks them up the right way.

He chopped up 5 or 6 sheets of construction paper - first, into strips, then into smaller pieces, and even attempted a star and a curve. I was very impressed by how straight his lines were - there's the perfectionist in me. Sure it was a waste of perfectly good construction paper that he eventually started cutting up right into the garbage can to save time on clean up, but I was so proud of my little boy for mastering the wielding of scissors

And, as a sidenote, have I mentioned that Chloe has turned into a climbing machine? We have a counter height table in our kitchen with chairs to match, and somehow she has figured out how to climb up the chair and onto the table. Seriously - this is extremely dangerous - but apparently she doesn't care! I thought that since she is so high maintenance with all the girly stuff, she wouldn't be doing the daredevil boy stuff - think again!

$2.02

That was how much a gallon of gas at Costco was today. That is cheaper than a gallon of milk at Costco (or anywhere else for that matter - even on sale)!

I didn't need gas today since my 27 gallon tank (yep, that's right, it's enormous!) was more than 3/4 full, but I was so excited to see gas this low that I couldn't resist! I remember thinking that $2 a gallon was depressing, but when it is half what you were paying only a few months ago, it seems so very cheap! Now if it could just go back to $.94/gallon like it was when I bought my first car...a girl can dream!

Same Old Stuff

I could sum up this post by just saying that my kids are super cute, I am feeling a little overwhelmed because I constantly take on too much, and Seth is busy with school and work, but then that is pretty much every post on my blog just with more detail. And, since we all know that I am not a woman of few words, I will give a bunch of random details.

Today, Chloe came in wearing Morgan's vampire teeth and said "rahr!" as she pretended to bite me. Apparently she is learning some "boy stuff" from Morgan amidst all that girly girlishness. Later I realized that while Chloe was rahr-ing at me, Morgan was "coloring" on Seth's handheld device with Sharpie marker instead of the stylus he had been using minutes earlier. Silly, silly boy (we got it all off, so I can think it is silly now). Chloe didn't want to get dressed this morning until I told her she got to wear a pretty dress and let her explore the ruffles, sparkles and velvet. Then she was very excited. Once she was all dressed, she walked around her room swishing her big poofy skirt. The girl will do anything to hear she is pretty! I realized this morning that Morgan is officially night-time potty trained. Since it isn't really something kids have a lot of control over, I didn't push it or expect it and just let him pick between pull ups and undies each night when he got jammies on. Lately, he wears undies to bed most nights and he hasn't woken up wet for at least a month (so long I can't remember). A very happy realization for me today! Little baby girl Tate is a kicker - she loves to kick me and gets really excited when she hears her siblings around and especially when she feels them up against her. I have never been one of those pregnant ladies who enjoys the kicking and I'm still not, but it is so sweet to know that she knows what is going on by the things that stimulate her activity. Every night after tucking him under the covers, I give Morgan kisses and say, "I love you!" The other night, he was directing the bedtime routine and I asked him what I do next as I tucked him into bed and he gave me kisses. Then I asked what I say next and he said, "I love you!" "That's right, I told him, I love you!" as I turned off the lights and left the room, I heard a sweet little boy voice saying, "I love you too!" as he always does. Nothing is sweeter to me than those little words.

In other news, after cleaning up the house nonstop during our week of the flu, I decided that I really really really really like my house when it is clean. I like that I don't feel embarrassed inviting someone inside when they stop by randomly. I like that I can see my shiny and beautiful floors (thank you H2O mop!). I like that it motivates me to prevent messes (ie. dirty doggy feet coming in from the back yard without being wiped, forgetting about the cereal bowl that Chloe threw from her high chair while I was in the shower and its remnants on the floor, etc.). I like that my laundry is out of sight and out of mind - because it is mostly clean and put away. I like that clearing the table for dinner is a 2-5 minute process not an hour plus project. I like that I feel I can invite people over to my house for whatever and not feel like I will have had to spend all day cleaning to get it ready. But most of all, I love how I feel when my surroundings are nice and neat! To clarify: it isn't that our house used to be germy and disgusting or anything, it is just that we have so little space that clutter would collect and multiply because it didn't have a home and where there was clutter, clean up became such an overwhelming task, that it didn't get done as often as it should have (with the exception of my kitchen counters which got/get 409-ed a ridiculous amount of times each day).

Here's a shout out to a couple of things that have made this clean house dream become a relative reality (if you stop by my house and I invite you in, please keep in mind that I still have 2 kids and 2 dogs and am pregnant).

1. Our wonderful garage! This project has been such a long time in the making that it is almost weird to think it is nearly finished. We have a door and 90 percent of the siding complete, so it has become the home to many things that have been difficult to find homes for. Not only that, but we can have visitors over in large numbers or for meetings or activities, or on days when I am just not up for holding back 2 large and very strong dogs, because the dogs don't seem to mind hanging out in the garage for a short period of time here and there. This means that I don't have to listen to them barking and scratching at the back door from the time I put them out and let someone else in until the time our visitors leave. If nothing else, that makes the whole garage worth it! :)
2. My new laundry system. After coming up with the concept, creating a pattern, picking out fabrics, picking out hooks, and finally getting Seth to hang them with me, I have a laundry system in my laundry room that is manageable and doesn't involve mountains of laundry taking over my family room or 20 minutes of searching in the morning for clothing that I know is clean...somewhere in the pile! Yay!
3. The H2O Mop, of course!
4. Preschool! Yep, that's right, a couple of hours each week where I can have only one child to clean up after instead of 2.
5. Good old fashioned devotion! I am kind of obsessed with my clean house now...which is great because it motivates me to keep it clean - which takes much less time and effort than cleaning the whole thing at once.

So, there you have it. Not much is new or exciting around here, but life is good!

Go Utes!

Seth has wanted to take the kids to a U game all season now that he is once again a UTE, but it just hasn't worked out with his schedule or the sold out student tickets. He bought the kids matching U of U sweatshirts to sport their colors, so we had them all decked out in Red today in honor of the game. They looked adoreable! We went to my Mom's to watch the first half of the game before rushing home to get kids to bed and watch The Office. Here we are sporting our colors while watching the game! Keep in mind that oversized sweatshirts and pregnancy aren't exactly the most flattering combo (therefore, this doesn't count as my belly shot I've been promising)!

Nausia set in...

...Tuesday night, right as the polls were about to close on the West coast. I thought I was just more upset than normal about the choice that we the people made for our Commander in Chief, but it got worse and worse throughout the night. Turns out, it wasn't post-election blues...it was the stomach flu (which Seth informs me is not the "flu" at all). Yep, I got it...the dreaded flu...and just so ya know: the stomach flu is SOOOO much worse when you have a baby inside kicking your upset stomach! We'll just say, I haven't been that sick in a very long time.

In other news, my 18 month-old daughter told me Monday, "ear hurts" as she grabbed her ear. Being the laid-back mother of two that I am, I thought kids her age don't really recognize where pain is coming from well enough to verbalize it. I had Seth check her ears anyway. He couldn't get a good look at the one she had pointed to when she told me her ear hurt, but the other one was totally clear and she had no runny nose. Yesterday she was really clingy, and then today she grabbed the same ear and said it again, "ear hurts". Turns out, she has an ear infection in that ear. Again, I am adjusting to all things girl, including the accurate verbalization of feelings.

Latest Happenings

My blogging absence has been due to the flu: Morgan flu, Chloe flu and Roxy flu. The worst of the 3 being Roxy flu which has lasted the entire week! If only I could train Roxy in the art of the red bowl! Luckily, I think everyone is finally over it and we can get our lives and laundry routine back to normal. Whew! So here is my catch up!

Monday for FHE we decided to make sugar cookies, decorate them all Halloweeny and take them to our buddies. We had so much fun cutting out the cookies with cookie cutters (sadly, this is the first time either of my children have experienced this), frosting them and sprinkling them...at least the first dozen or so. Then the kids were done and I was left with oodles of cookies to finish all by myself! Of course that was the night everyone started throwing up, so we didn't want to chance infesting our buddies with the flu and kept the dozens of cookies. I did send a bunch that I knew the kids hadn't helped decorate with Seth to work, though, and they enjoyed them.

Morgan had his preschool halloween party on Thursday and got to wear his farmer costume, which he loved, and then we went out to lunch with Grandpa Mark at the Olive Garden after the kids modeled their costumes for him. Yum!

Friday, we spent the day cleaning up more doggy flu messes and doing lots and lots of laundry until it was time to get in our costumes and head to Grandma Becky's for chili in pumpkin bread bowls and more costume modeling. Since we knew that Chili was on the menu, we didn't change Chloe into her costume until after dinner, but she looked darn cute in her Halloween outfit!

Chloe's first encounter with Trick or Treat - so, if I say "trick or treat" they put candy in there?

We met up with lots of our buddies at Trunk or Treat and then went Trick or Treating for about an hour before heading back to our house for donuts, hot chocolate and hot cider. It was so much fun! By about 8:30 the kids were ready to hit the hay from such a long and fun day. This is the first year that I have really enjoyed Halloween since I was in Jr. High. It was so cute to watch the kids go trick or treating. They were in heaven! Morgan was so polite saying "Thank You" at every door and was running ahead with his buddies to every house they spotted with the lights on! Chloe liked trick or treating more than I could have ever imagined! Seth carried her on his shoulders for most of the time and she would not let him skip any of the houses the other kids got to go to. She would point and say "treat" incessantly until he would give in and take her up! She said "trick or treat" at every door and was so pleased that the result was candy for her pumpkin! Morgan got in the stroller and told me that he was ready to go home and get donuts and hot chocolate, but Chloe was still wanting more! As I watched them trek up to every door, I just kept thinking how darling they were getting all excited about all of this candy. They made it out with a HAUL! We have so much candy I don't even know what to do with all of it.

Seth loves Halloween - especially Trick or Treating. He would go whether we had kids or not! This year he dressed up as white trash and yes, he had his own bag of candy!

This was Seth's outfit of choice for answering the door to trick or treaters after the kids went to bed. Even though Seth has more hair for the clips, the ears look much cuter on Chloe I think!

Saturday was the funeral for my Grandpa Bell (paternal Grandpa). He had been battling 2 different forms of terminal cancer in hospice care for the last 6 or so months and so we were grateful for the end of his suffering. I didn't expect it to be such an emotional day for me, but I found myself completely exhausted from all of the tears and juggling two very candy-wired children by myself as Seth had a mandatory training for work. It was so nice to remember all of the good times with Grandpa - many that I had long since forgotten - and to spend time with family that we very rarely see.

Anyway, that's what we've been up to! Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween! And seriously, is it already November? Crazy!