Can't Wait to Share

these pictures were just too cute, they couldn't wait for me to finish going through all of the Christmas Pictures before posting!

(The boots are actually slippers from Old Navy...wish they were in my size!)

So Much to Tell...

Christmas really has felt a little like a tornado this year...it came and went in a whirlwind and left the evidence in its wake! I feel like we actually slowed it down a bit this year and enjoyed every minute, though. So...I am currently moving 2 GB worth of pictures from my camera to my computer from Christmas Week and then I will find some great ones to share with you.

But, lest you think I am slacking off on my blogging, I just want you to know that yesterday was the first day we have been home for more than an hour when we weren't hosting a party or preparing food and that was only because Morgan was throwing up all morning. It was a lovely day of relaxing and playing with toys and watching new movies and getting all of the presents out of their packaging and trying to figure out how in the world to get rid of 5 garbage bags full of recycling beyond what will fit in our bin. We were really looking forward to today being similar only without the sick part...so we spent the morning playing games and rearranging rooms to find places for toys.

In fact, that's how we found mold growing in between our lovesac and wall. We proceeded to rip out said wall, remove all interior wall that had touched mold, cut out carpet that had mold, reframe and sheetrock wall, and mud wall. Thankfully Grandma Becky came to the rescue to take the kids to lunch because it was a really long day for everyone! When you are 4 and your bedroom becomes off-limits because your mom and dad are frantically ripping out your wall, you tend to think the world might be ending.

Anyway...we now have a new mold-free wall that will be ready for more mud and paint on Thursday, Seth's next day off. Also on the agenda for Thursday...patch in carpet piece...and while we are at it, maybe we should patch in a piece where Morgan decided to practice drawing rainbows on the carpet with "washable" markers. Yippee! Sound like a fun New Years Eve to anyone else...feel free to join us! hehe.

So, today I am grateful for a handy husband...for being pretty handy myself...for a shop vac...for KSL.com (where I got rid of affected lovesac that I cut a giant hole in and removed a bunch of stuffing from)...bleach...power tools...and a one-day room makeover! Amazing how much different Morgan's room looks without a lovesac in it!

All in all, it has actually been a pretty awesome day! I love the feeling that accompanies accomplishing something and doing it right. In fact, it struck me that this little project is a lot like life. Stuff happens that is crappy and seemingly insurmountable and we have a choice: we can sit down and cry about it and feel downhearted and picked on, or we can grab the hand of the people we love the most, assure each other that we can do it, make a plan and get to work.

Christmas Greetings...Just in Case

In the name of simplifying my life

and really enjoying the holiday season with my family this year,

and saving a LOT of money on postage...tee hee

I may not get around to sending out Christmas cards this year.

Who knows, maybe I'll temporarily turn into superwoman and pull it off

but just in case...

Merry Christmas from the Tate Family!

We are truly fortunate to have so many dear friends and neighbors and such wonderful family!

Thank you for being a special part of our lives, past or present!

We hope that the coming year is filled with Peace, Love and especially Joy!

Keeping Busy

As if the holidays weren't busy enough,

here are some fun crafts that have been keeping me busy.

In reality, the many handmade gifts

(which have not been given and thus will not be pictured yet)

I have been making lately, have been keeping me more busy,

but without pictures that isn't a very exciting post!Felt Mr. Potato Heads

(these are the basic ones for an under $3 gift exchange we have coming up, but there are some additional fun accessories that the kidlets will be getting with theirs for Christmas.)
One of the Advent Calendars I put together made from a cookie sheet and magnets.
We now have 3 advent calendars...so everyone gets a turn every day.
Inside the 25th container is a Star ornament to hang on the tree...
preferably BEFORE tearing into the goodies from Santa.

Christmas Magic

She probably won't remember the first time she saw her reflection in an ornament...or the way she loved seeing it dangle above her...
he probably won't remember the years up until this one
when we had a real live Christmas tree...
or what a big deal it was to "make the switch"... And they probably won't remember that they got most excited about reading
the Chistmas books that had been boxed up since last season.

But I'll remember.

Because every bit of it is magical to me.

Every second reminds me that this season isn't about finding the perfect gift,

or filling every second of time with something,

or making sure that everything is fair.

It is about making memories,

celebrating together,

believing in something that you've never seen,

anticipation,

reverence,

appreciation,

traditions,

giving,

and most of all

Love.

That is when you find

the magic.

Recession House

In honor of economic recession (which apparently is over if you didn't get the memo)

I present to you our 2010 Gingerbread house...

recession style. We used our leftover halloween candy...

(which barely made a dent in the large quantity of candy that remained...and still remains)

+

some cereal from our cupboard

(for the roof)

+

an unopened bag of dark chocolate m&ms from Easter

(the Easter bunny didn't notice the word "dark" on the pastel package...ooops)

+

a bag of marshmallows from our food storage

which Chloe molded into a snowman,

complete with nerds for the eyes randomly placed all over its body

(and yes, I stock cake mixes and marshmallows in my food storage)

And all in all, it is most definitely our most colorful house EVER!

And Morgan posed for this cute picture with the finished project

even though he spent approximately 5.3 seconds actually helping before he was off to play with his cousins.

Chloe, on the other hand, stuck around until the project was finished...

sticking candy on the frosting, making sure I knew when we ran out of frosting to stick candy to, building marshmallow snowmen,

and - my favorite - placing random m&m "paving stones" throughout the yard.

I LOVE having a baby girl who wants to be all domestic and girly with me!

And here is the whole fam with our little house.

It looked this cute for a whole day while I kept little fingers away

then they won me over and went to town.

Suffice it to say, I wouldn't so much describe it as cute anymore.

Absolutely Gorgeous

and yet...

Sunday she got in the car after church and proclaimed,

"Let's talk about boys."

Dear Chloe,
Hey there little miss all-grown-up,

can you just slow down this growing up stuff and smell the roses a bit.

You only get to be little once,

princesses

my little ponies

and imagination land,

maybe we should just stick with talking about those for now,

because,

trust me,

you'll have plenty of time to talk about boys later...

maybe when you are 3.

Scared to death to meet your teenage self,

but I love love love you anyway!

-kisses and loves-

Mom

This is what happens

when kids wake up at 7:00 and Mom wants to sleep until 7:30.oh well...at least they are having fun together!

I know I am biased,

but she really does get cuter every day!

Christmas Traditions

I know it isn't even Thanksgiving yet, but since we have been eating turkey for a full week straight now (since our ward Thanksgiving Feast), it feels like it has already come and gone. So I bring you this post and hope you'll forgive me for jumping the holiday gun!

Over the past month as we have recorded our blessings each day, I have been craving a similarly enjoyable and magical Christmas season and wondering to myself how I can possibly pull that off with 3 kids, Seth in the midst of finals, shopping for gifts, ward activities, parties with family and friends, and all that comes with it. I have been reflecting on our holiday traditions and how, so often, the things we really want to enjoy as a family take a backseat to all that we "have to do". So, I determined that I wanted to get everything possible done in advance so that we could really enjoy the season. My shopping is 90% done, Christmas projects are about 50 percent complete, I have gifts ready to ship this weekend, and have all the major stuff we don't want to miss on the Calendar.

In the process of these preparations, I remembered my post from last year about our traditions and I was so excited to add our new traditions! In fact, I was so excited that I want more fun ideas for new traditions.

So, tell me, what are your favorite holiday traditions?

Thanksgiving Feast

Morgan's teacher sent me a picture from their Thanksgiving feast today

(and with a little photoshop magic - voila).

It made me wish I got to go to preschool every day!

When Morgan got in the car I asked him about his feast.

"What did you have?"

"Carrots, corn, chicken (meaning turkey), rolls, olives..."

"Olives?" I asked.

"Yeah, you know, the black oval things that you put on your fingers."

Oh, so that's what an olive is...

Mama

Our week has been crazy...
baby shower for darling sister-in-law at my house
Thanksgiving Dinner for our ward (close to 200 people)
Squeezing in a quick date to the temple

busy work schedule

busy school schedule

lots of cleaning

lots of shopping

lots of finishing touches

And then today was even crazier...
Teaching primary
Doing sharing time
Tithing Settlement
Tests and quizzes and papers due (for Seth)
Thanksgiving dinner for my dad's side of the family at my house
and lots and lots of snow falling outside

and I am totally worn out after all of it.
But tonight, we listed our Thankful Things in our Gratitude Journal like we do every night:
Seth was thankful for our amazing neighbor
I was thankful for church
Morgan was thankful for Playing Wii with his uncles
Chloe was thankful for magic wands
and as I went to put away the book I jokingly said,
"What are you thankful for, Brynnie?"
and you know what...
She dove toward me and nuzzled her head and said
"mama"

Plain and simple...
today was a beautiful day!

Morgan's Recipe for Thanksgiving Dinner

Warning: reading this might cause you to pee your pants,

disturb your co-workers or wake your sleeping baby

Morgan brought home some Thanksgiving recipes today

(complete with side dishes and deserts)

written by none other than the kids in his Preschool class.

So here is Morgan's Recipe for Thanksgiving Dinner:

We get a turkey. We don't shoot them we get them in a bag at the store. The yellow bags have stuffing - we don't get that bag because we don't like stuffing. Get the red and white bag because it comes without stuffing. Sometimes you can give turkeys to people who need them. Go home and put your turkey in a pan. Turkeys have bones in them. Put some pepper and salt on top of the turkey. Turn your oven to 19 degrees. Put it in the oven. Cook it for 18 hours. Make some gravy sauce, mash some potatoes, and cut up some bananas and strawberries. Get some butter and rolls. Then make a peanut butter sandwich when your hungry for lunch. Make some chocolate/vanilla/strawberry ice-cream for dessert. Put some sprinkles on it. Be thankful for things.

Yesterday was a pretty great day

I had conversations like this...

Morgan: "What is tomorrow, Mom?"

Jen: "Nothing."

M (excitedly): "Nothing? We get to stay home?

J: "Yep - maybe we can make pancakes."

M: "No...I just want to read books."

J: "Right, we can have pancakes for breakfast and then you can read books or play in your room or whatever."

M: "I am so excited to stay home and have pancakes for breakfast and play in my room and read books and play with my sisters!"

And this...

Chloe (crying and very upset, all of a sudden): "I need my phone."

Jen: "We left it at home, we'll have to get it when we get back."

C: "But I need my phone right now, I can't hear out of my fingers."

(referring to using her fingers as a phone)

Got compliments like this...

Chloe: "Mom, you have pretty pretty eyelashes!"

And took pictures of this...

It was a day I wanted to capture in a bottle and keep forever!

An Exercise in Gratitude

In attempt to actually be as good a mom as all of you think I am (haha, j/k), our family has started a new November tradition. It started out as an idea that could double as a way of counting our blessings and providing fall decor, but in the first couple of days, I realized that my plan was a little more complex than my time permitted, so,

the Tate Family Gratitude Journal was born...

and it is still cute enough to leave out as decor, just not in the same way I had planned.

Every night, we go around and list our "thankful for's" and write them down in the book. I plan to keep it with the Thanksgiving decor (or maybe the Halloween decor, just to make sure it makes it out of the holiday decor box before Nov. 1) and pull it out each year to add to it. The only problem has been coming up with a title for it (as illustrated above by the big empty piece of paper where the title should be).

Any ideas (other than the most boring backup plan title "The Tate Family Gratitude Journal")?

It has been so fun to hear what the kids (and Seth) come up with. I have loved each answer, but here is a sampling of my favorites.

Morgan has been thankful that he got to be number 2 on the airplane to Hawaii in his preschool class so he got to sit next to Paul, that we took down the Halloween decorations and put up Thanksgiving decorations, and Christmas.

Chloe has been thankful for her friends (which she says almost every night, by the way, and usually lists names), Heavenly Father, her princess crown, and my favorite by far...her friends in her dancing class (except, she doesn't take dance...

hmmm, maybe a dancing class in her dreams?).

I have been thankful for my sewing machine, a sweet husband who rakes leaves and scoops poop, pictures, and healthy bodies and bright minds.

Seth has been thankful for days off, Hawaii, smart cute kids, and Brynnie's sturdy frontal bone.

and Brynn, well, I assume that she is thankful for the same things every day...

food, a clean bum, and a family who ADORES her every second of the day.

Hope you are having a happy season of THANKS!

Picture Perfect

The weather here has been gorgeous lately!

Colorful leaves covering the ground,

sunny skies with the tiniest crisp chill in the air,

and chilly nights for drinking hot chocolate and snuggling.

I love Salt Lake in the Fall!

(well, really I love it all the time, but especially in the fall)

You know what I love even more...

These two!

Love this girl and her adoreable face

(even when she has bruises all over her forehead from falling over all the time)!

Love this man for so so so many reasons,

but especially for how he loves this girl...and her sister...and her big brother...

and their mommy...

and for spending his afternoon after a long day of classes

picking up poop

so he could rake the leaves

and take this little girl outside while the big kids were napping

so they could jump in them together

and he could teach her to love fall

just like he does!

Yep, I love these two a lot!

And the sleeping ones?

Love them a lot too!

A Little Cuteness

I'm helping my cousin throw a shower for her sister (also my cousin) tonight and I am in charge of decor. Thus...

Diaper cake is Huggies diapers wrapped with a nursing cover and 4 burp cloths and of course a matching wipes case...'cause if you are going to be changing poop, you might as well do it in style.

Can you guess what his name is going to be?

Decor and Present in one...gotta' love multi-tasking!

Here she is...

And she is stinkin' cute...

Are Ladybugs are a Delicacy in Any Foriegn Country?

...doesn't matter.

Either way, I want to eat her up!

Trunk-or-Treat and Momma Scissor-Hands

Here are some pictures from the fated Trunk-or-Treat that consumed our lives for the last couple of weeks.

Morgan in his spider costume walking the runway during the costume fashion showLittle Miss B in her Ladybug costume sitting on the table during dinner, of course. And, yes, those are twinkle lights...and real carved pumpkins on the tables as centerpieces next to the water jugs with eyeballs floating in them...

this activities committee knows how to throw a PARTY!

(seriously, though...those of you on the committee...you totally rock!)

And...since I didn't snap a single picture of Chloe in costume when she wasn't shoving treats in her mouth/all over her costume, I decided to show you her haircut from this week instead. No cookie cutters haircut for this girl...her momma got sick of the mullett and whipped out the scissors! She is finally back to where she was about 18 months ago...with a little bit of residual shortness on her right side. But, hey, it is looking better every day!

The kids are costuming up for Grandma Colleen's Halloween Party today, (after some modifications to each of the costumes from trunk-or-treat wear and tear) so I will make sure I get some good ones of everyone in costume. I know you are in suspense!

And now I will leave you with some random thoughts and observations...

This morning while I am typing this blog post is the first time my kids have turned on the TV (really, they never watch TV, only movies, but we call it TV) since Sunday. I want to remember this moment so I don't feel quite so bad on the weeks where they watch a movie every day.

Made this recipe last night...mmmm! Adoreable and delish!

I know my library books are overdue, but I don't know how overdue they are.

Even though we don't need to be anywhere until 11:00 today, we will still be rushing to get ready and probably late because I am enjoying lounging WAAAY too much!

The new facebook layout is really driving me crazy. And, on a similar note, why can I not convince my hubby to be my friend on facebook.

My puppy-dog faced-request, Please be my facebook friend sweetie...

was met with, I am a face-to-face friend only!

Yesterday I went to make this rice and poured everything into the rice cooker...without the removeable bowl (yes I poured it directly into the heating unit part). The worst part...I didn't realize that the bowl was missing until I had turned the cooker on and closed the lid and found the bowl sitting next to it in a puddle of liquid draining from the cooker. (Apologies if this is confusing...it was one of the blonder things I have done in a very long time) I have always wondered why they would even need the sticker on the cooker that says "to Prevent Shock, cook only in removeable container"...what stupid person would...oh, yeah, me!

Grape juice canning is complete...

if you have grapes and want to give them to someone to can...do NOT call me!

How is one to decide what to wear when the weather changes its mind so frquently throughout the day?

Yesterday I had my kids skip naptime so I could put them to bed early.

I did that so that I could watch the Thursday night NBC lineup, uninterrupted.

It was so worth it!

Jim's costume...always a classic!

Just to keep you wanting more

These pictures were just too cute, so I had to post them ASAP...there are more to come, but hopefully this will entice you to come back and see the rest soon. I really suck at blogging lately (and keeping my house clean, and being nice to my kids, and making dinner, and, and, and...) but our neighborhood trunk-or-treat/Halloween Carnival is tomorrow and then I get my life back, kind of, at least until the next activity we are in charge of (a few weeks later)!

So, despite my feeling rediculously overwhelmed and scattered, here is some proof that we have been enjoying some October fun!

Argh! Pirates don't take baths! (this is indeed his "pirate face" and not just a weird moment)
No words...just amazement at this little stunning beauty!

She is always cute...and such a little thinker!

And this is a preview of what is to come...I made two tutu costumes this year and they are both equally adoreable...just wait 'til you see the accessories and the little sweeties wearing them!

All She Ever Wants To Do Anymore

is stand up.

to play, to eat, to explore, to hang out.

And to be perfectly honest...I am not so sure I am happy about it!

She is supposed to be my baby, but at this rate she will be all grown up in no time!

Good Mommies make their babies take naps

My girls are going to be fabulous mommies!

They know all about the "naptime=mommy sanity" rule...

and the importance of bedtime kisses...

and leading by example...

and they aren't phased by naked bums...

but most of all, they know that

cell-phones and purses

are not optional accessories!

Here's the thing

We have had the flu/cold all week.

I have been making a lot of applesauce and grape juice.

I have been working on Halloween Costumes

and baby shower invitations

and plans for a Trunk or Treat.

So, blogging has kind of been on the back burner.

I promise to post some pictures of the little dearies soon,

but, truth be told, I haven't taken any pictures of them lately.

(gasp)

In fact, Brynn hasn't had a bow in her "hair" for over a week.

(double gasp)

But, she is standing...

and cruising (walking along the furniture as she holds it for support)...

and going up stairs...

(yikes)

and talking (babbling) incessantly.

(she sounds exactly like Chloe with her tone and inflection and "sentence structure"

and sometimes I get them confused)

Everyone else is pretty much the same...

making me laugh with the funny things they say...

and do...

especially Seth.

6 Years of Happily Ever After

Six years ago today, Seth and I were sealed together in the temple and our Tate Family was established. We loved our little (tiny) apartment downtown and loved being in walking distance to the temple. We were so in love (and pretty darn sappy) and so excited to spend every moment together.

Nine months later, we bought our first house and got a (rambunctious) puppy. We tried obedience training. We loved her like a baby. She was a good dog, but still crazy. I graduated from college. We were so in love and excited to be living our dreams.

In another 8 months, Morgan joined our family! We doted and took pictures and video taped endless footage of him laying on his back looking at stuff. Seth graduated from school and got a great job. We were so in love and so happy to be parents.

Not quite 2 years after that, we got another puppy. This one was less rambunctious, but oh.was.she.a.puppy. She yipped and peed and howled. And we loved her, and cuddled her, and counted our blessings that we had so many little lives to love. We were so in love and excited for the next big step in our lives...

10 days later, our first baby girl was born and we were smitten! Chloe was beautiful and sweet and we couldn't imagine our lives without her. We worried for her safety and well-being with a big brother who was not quite 2...but he loved her, and she loved him, and it was the start of a beautiful friendship. I quit my job to be a stay-at-home mom. We enjoyed watching Chloe learn so much, so fast. We played together as a family every spare moment we had. We were so in love and wondered how we got so lucky to be living in this fairy tale.

Another year later Seth got accepted to the DNP (doctor of nurse practice) program on his first try. So, feeling like we could take on the world, we decided to build a garage before he started. It was hard. It was long. It was stressful. It is (still) not quite finished. We were so in love - even when we were too exhausted to realize it - and impatiently anticipated getting back to our fairy tale.

A few months later, Seth started school. It was busy. There was a lot of homework. Breaks were never long enough. I spent a lot of time by myself (if you can call hanging out with 2 kids and 2 dogs by yourself) and in my pregnant state, felt inadequate to do it all. Between work, school, kids, and sleep, we only saw each other in passing. We were so in love and missing each other so much.

Another few months passed and we had to say goodbye to our sweet puppy #2. We found her a wonderful home. And we cried. and cried. and cried. And we missed her like crazy. But we knew she was happy. And we were happy too. We were so in love and so excited for a new chapter of our lives to start...

Less than a month later, Brynn joined our family. She was tiny and beautiful and amazing! Her big brother and sister were smitten! Her mommy and daddy were smitten! We took thousands of pictures and carved out more family time. We adjusted to 3 babies. We couldn't keep up with it all. We relied on each other and relished our time together. We took some time off to get away...all of us...and it was good. We were so in love and feeling so blessed.

So now, here we are, six years later. We have had ups and downs, blessings and trials, but that is what life is all about. I feel blessed to have held Seth's hand through it all. As I watched conference last weekend, I couldn't help but feel immensely blessed as I listened to the talks. Seth is the epitome of temperance. His highest priority is our family. I have never wondered for a day of my marriage whether he loves me, because he tells me every day and he shows me every day. As I see the good in my children, I know that it is due, in large part, to the father that Seth is. They know he loves them because he tells them and shows them.

Right now, we enjoy our family so much. We count our blessings that three sweet spirits were sent to our family. We have learned so much about love from them and it just gets better as they grow. We find joy in the relationships our children have with each other. We are making more time for each other, despite the busy schedules. We are working on becoming better individuals. We love spending time together: laughing, playing, working, learning, serving, and occasionally relaxing. We are grateful for the gospel. We are happy. Most of all, we are so in love and looking down the road of our life with excitement and anticipation, because it is true what they say...it just gets better with time!

Just so you know...

The next day was better...

and my father-in-law fixed the dishwasher

and I made the most amazingly wonderful chocolate chip cookies...
and ate most of them myself

and General Conference was inspiring
and uplifting
and touching

and I read a novel this week for the first time in a very.long.time


And today was absolutely lovely...
sleeping in until 7:30
the whole family piling in our bed
and then getting out and entertaining themselves
so Seth and I could stay cuddled in bed and pretend we were sleeping in until 9:00
eating a fresh garden omelet for breakfast
making peach butter
making kool aid play-doh to occupy the kids during conference
watching conference
sewing Halloween costumes
soaking up the awesomeness of conference
watching some more conference
admiring the most adorable Halloween costumes ever
dinner and a movie with family
pie with another family
all 3 kids down to sleep without a fight.
Yes, it has been a lovely day!


In a strange way, I am grateful for the
terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days
because...
they make me appreciate that most days are not that way
and recognize that so many days are so wonderful and rewarding.
they make me appreciate the sweet little moments
and the sweet BIG moments
and all the sweet moments in between.

The Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day

Today...

It rained, which would normally be fine, except Chloe left her doll stroller outside
and it is now soaking wet.

My dishwasher is not working...still...this is day number 3.

Morgan and Chloe decided that watching a movie,
even though they had been specifically told not to,
was more important than eating breakfast.

Morgan got dressed in the clothes we had picked out last night,
but when asked to get his socks on, he went down to his room (after protesting for 5 minutes) where he decided to change his whole outfit.
He returned upstairs with bare feet wearing a sweatshirt that was too small.

I yelled at Morgan.

Morgan cried.

We were 10 minutes late to school.

I felt bad for yelling.

Put Brynn down for a nap so I could work on halloween costumes before picking up Morgan.

She finally fell asleep at 10:00.

Woke Brynn up at 10:30 so we could pick Morgan up from preschool short day.

Brynn Cried.

While I loaded Brynn in her carseat, Chloe pooped her pants.

I changed Chloe's bum.

I scolded Chloe for not being a big girl.

I felt bad for scolding Chloe.

Picked Morgan up and decide to go get lunch:
partly because I felt bad for being a mean mommy all morning
partly because I didn't want to hand wash more dishes!

Ordered lunch at Wendy's in the drive-thru.

I couldn't find my wallet to pay.

I left Wendy's with no food.

I yelled at Chloe for emptying my purse before we left causing my wallet to be left at home.

Looked for wallet at home where Chloe unloaded my purse as she was pooping her pants.
Not there.
Looked for wallet in the car, thinking it may have fallen out of my purse.
Not there.
Wondered if my wallet could still be in my camera bag from yesterday.
Crap...it was there.

I felt bad for yelling at Chloe.

Apologized to the kids again for being a mean Mommy.

Decided to get lunch at Carl's Jr. (because I was too embarassed to go back to Wendy's).
Ordered extra fries for the kids as a peace offering.
Let the kids eat their food in the car while they watched a movie,
even though we are sitting in the driveway.

Decided to get the dishes done while the kids ate a banana to offset the fries.

Seth called.
I vented to him about my day
and informed him that I am buying a new dishwasher. Today.

In the meantime, Chloe unraveled thread from the sewing machine
all.over.the.living room.

I (angrily) put Chloe down for a nap.

I finished the dishes.

I took Morgan down for his nap and found lotion
all.over.the.carpet.

I vented my frustrations to all of you on this blog.

We are now going to stay in our rooms the rest of the day!

A Random Observation

I've been going through all of the endless photos I took throughout the summer getting them captioned, tagged and filed and made a random observation....

Chloe's hair has indeed grown. A LOT!

BEFORE : (April of this year):

AFTER (3 weeks ago):

Every day when I attempt to turn whispies into "piggies" I feel as if the fates have conspired against me...and that she will never have any hair, solely because I really want her to so I can make it cute! But, thankfully, there is proof in the pictures that this is not the case. Sure she is still a little more bald on the right than the left and her hair in front is a little skee-wompus due to the right/left imbalance, but at least it is growing.

And, hey, with those eyes who needs good hair?

Hope for the hopeless!

Going, Going, Gone

All of a sudden, I feel as if I am watching my life fly by me.

My kids are growing up a little more every day and I wonder why they seem so old. Things have been crazy around here. Church callings, Seth at work, pre-school, playgroups, family canning, cooking, planning, harvesting, other church callings, Seth at school, laundry, commitments, friends, play-doh making, grocery shopping, cleaning...

Please Slow down, time.

I need more time to enjoy Chloe singing songs, hosting tea parties, calling every dress she owns a "dancing dress", twirling around the house with her dollies...and me...and daddy...and Callie, playing pretend, reading book.after.book.after.book.after.book and quoting disney movies.

I need more time to enjoy Brynn doing the elephant crawl all over the house, scooting herself backward while she is sitting up, stacking rings, filling buckets with blocks and then taking them back out one at a time, grunting for food in between bites, and giggling like crazy just because big brother or sister are.

I need more time to enjoy Morgan telling me every detail of his day at preschool, demanding bedtime kisses before I leave his room at night, getting so excited about the scripture stories, asking if he can dust the house...or water the flowers...or clean the leather couches, his silly giggle, his delightful sense of humor and his rediculously bright logic that either leaves us laughing hysterically or beaming with pride.

I need more time to enjoy the sunny days, harvesting my garden veggies, delighting in the daisies blooming all over my yard...but especially the happy gerber daisies by the front door, my beautifully lush and green backyard, trips to the zoo, picnics in the park, flip-flops, and middle-of-the-week movies with my sweetie because it isn't quite time to study for midterms yet. :)

But, alas, time doesn't stop or slow down. It just keeps spinning on. The sun is setting earlier, the nights are getting chillier and before I know it, September will be gone...and soon enough, these moments will be replaced with new moments that I'll want to cherish and savor. So, I must slow down and take it all in. I must enjoy every second of this life...right now...because it is lovely and wonderful and fleeting...and I don't want it to pass me by before I take the time to enjoy it!

I always thought

...that canning food saved you money. That is, until Seth planted 16 tomato plants in this year's garden and they all started producing at the same time and I had to start buying a dozen or two bottles a week, just to keep up (not to mention the time it takes to can). Nope...canning is not an inexpensive endeavor!

I bet next year when I am reusing bottles I will feel differently, and besides, stewed tomatoes sure look pretty in mason jars! Next project: cute jar labels!

Been There, Done That

Preschool. No nostalgia...no tears...no emotions of thinking my baby is so grown up as he walks right into the classroom, hangs up his bag, puts on his name collar and finds a seat without a glance back to see if I have left the room. Nope...we've been there and done that and this is just a continuation after a little break.

But...

this year is different and special and wonderful in a whole different way. Morgan has Miss Fidge. Wanna' know who else had Miss Fidge for 4-year-old preschool? ME! 22 years ago a little curly haired girl - most likely wearing a dress - walked into Miss Fidge's classroom (in a different school building) holding her mommy's hand, placed her bag in her cubby, put on her name collar and found her seat without a glance back at that mommy.

While I can't remember a whole lot about the details of day-to-day elementary school, I remember everything about Miss Fidge's preschool class. I remember Thanksgiving dinner dressed up like an indian, I remember the Easter Egg Hunt with my basket made of a milk carton, I remember performing 5 Little Ducks Went out to Play in the graduation ceremony wearing my graduation cap, I remember bossing all the other kids when we played house (with the same wooden kitchen set Morgan gets to play with), I remember my Mom coming to help on her co-op days and getting to help her serve the snack. I remember singing Alligator Soup, Tiny Tim, Wide Mouth Frog, My Name is Stegosaurus and all the other wonderful songs we learned. Most of all, I remember feeling so loved by my wonderful teacher. I am excited for Morgan to experience all of this for himself...and I know he will, because Miss Fidge is just the same!

And of course...here are the pictures of Morgan the " Stud Muffin" on the first day!

Chloe helped to calm any nerves Morgan may have had with big hugs before he left for school.

Miss Fidge, Morgan, Miss Allyson - Morgan got a little timid when we walked in...

But with some fingerpainting, song singing and puzzles...he warmed right up! And he got to answer the question about siblings...he was excited to tell about his 2 sisters, Brynnie and Chloe.Then we played on the playground for good measure before we left to pick up the girls.

They have a Class Family Photo Album in their reading center that they can look at during their free choice time. We were asked to create a page showing our child and their favorite things. Here is Morgan's page.

(Note: This assignment was given to the parents...not the kids...I don't do his homework for him. I did make him help me pick out the pictures though, and he listed off the things he liked, wrote the signs and posed for the pictures!)

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