August 31, 2008

It was another fun day. It started early with church. Oh how I love wrestling my little rascals into eating breakfast and getting into their dresses. By the time its done I have almost no time to get myself ready. I will never know how people with 4 and 5 kids do it. Ansley is finally loving nursery though. She was having a spell where she would cry when I left her and then cling to the nursery leaders. Today when we picked her up she was participating and smiling. Yeah, progress. As we were leaving church Jerry was putting Ansley in her car seat. I was driving and so I started the car. Ansley went nuts. "No mommy, don't drive!! I not in my seat yet!!" Jerry of coarse replies, "I know her driving scares me too!!" He's such an instigator!! It was very cute though. She is talking like such a big girl now.



After church we headed down to my Aunt and Uncles for a labor day picnic. The weather was beautiful and the girls loved having other kids to play with. Ally loved the big water slide. Ansley did not!! She loved playing with Uncle Steve though. She calls him grandpa. She still thinks he and dad are the same person. I wonder where she thinks grandma is. It was a great day. Hopefully they will sleep in a little tomorrow.

August 30, 2008

Today we went picking again. Ally can truly eat her weight in them and I refuse to buy them at the store because they are so expensive and are usually moldy from their trip from California so we have been picking them and freezing them. We've frozen about 13 lbs so I figure that should hold her over for awhile. I guess it will have to because blueberry season is almost over anyway.

So Jerry decided I have been working too much and decided I needed to get out with some friends. So he set up a girls night out with my two best girl friends from high school. It was just like old times. The night started out at the local stop n shop for food and then we cooked and ate and ate and ate and talked. It was great to see them and to get out without the kids. Thanks honey!!

Oh and on a side note. McCain has nailed his coffin shut with his pick for VP in my opinion. I love that he chose a woman but he chose the wrong one. If his complaint about Obama is that he has no experience how can he justify a woman with 2 year of experience as a Governor. She has no foreign policy experience at all which in our turbulent times with other countries is a necessity. Given the fact that McCain has many health issues and could easily die in office he has lost my vote. There was only one woman ready for the White House McCain and it isn't Palin.

The Democratic Convention

I have to say that up until this week I have been very distraught over the whole upcoming election. I really didn't like Obama and McCain is George W all over but after watching the convention this week I am a little more inclined to vote. Obama really has it together and while I don't agree with everything he offers I really think he has some good plans for the welfare of the country. Not only that but Jerry and I love his choice for VP. He was our original hopeful for the democratic nomination. Again, we don't agree with everything he stands for either but I don't think we will ever find a perfect candidate. Michelle Obama really has it together too. Jerry and I were really impressed with her speech this week as well. Hiliary, in what was probably one of the most humbling days in her life, backed Obama which is great for the party and Bill was his usual best. I know you either love him or you hate him but we love him!! It was unbelieveable to see more than 80,000 people crammed into the Denver stadium tonight. Next stop the Republican National Convention!!

The Bike

So this morning Ally once again reminds me how wonderful it is to be a child and naive of the world in which we live. Immediately after breakfast she and Ansley went down to the basement to swing.(We have swings hanging under the deck) She immediately starts yelling about her dads bike. So I figured it must have fallen down. I go down to see what the commotions is and realize that the bike is gone. Ally is beside herself and cannot understand where it went. I try to explain to her that someone has taken it. Her reply, "Well why didn't they ask us before they borrowed it?" Well that's a little complicated. So now I have to explain to my four year old that no one borrowed daddy's bike, they stole it and they aren't going to be bringing it back. She was devastated and told anyone who would listen to her all about how someone stole her daddy's bike. I think it was a good learning experience for all of us. Unfortunately many bikes were stolen last night despite being locked up or even on the second story balcony. Scary for us since we never lock the slider on the second story and if they could scale the deck they could easily walk in. It will be locked from now on.


Well after a dry run a few weeks ago with very little blueberry success we have tried it again. The girls and I headed out to Easy Pickens this time and had a great time. Ally was a champion blueberry picker, although she would have preferred to be a champion blueberry eater. We picked about 5 lbs in an hour which I thought was good given that Ansley dumps them out almost as fast as we pick them and I spend most of the time picking them up off the ground. The blueberries are so plump and sweet, even Jerry liked them and he says he doesn't like blueberries. Ally got upset at one point because Ansley had found herself an apple and was eating it. "You stole that! We didn't pay for it!" She is so good. I told her I promised I would pay for it when I paid for the blueberries and she was fine with that so she ate one too!!

For dinner tonight we ate some of that corn from the farmers market. Oh my Gosh!! It is soooo good. I think I'm a corn snob now. I don't know if I can eat it any other way. We didn't even put butter or salt on it. It was so sweet and good. I am definitely getting spoiled by all of the fresh food we have been able to have in the last few weeks. Living in country has definite advantages and fresh fruits and veggies is definitely one of them.

August 26, 2008

Well the week had a rough start with only 4 hours of sleep in between 2 shifts. I have been the mommy from hell!

Jerry started school yesterday and so the madness begins. But tonight was great! We went to the Brookers house for dinner and had some awesome taco's on home-made tortillas. They were yummy! Way better than the store bought ones. Even the girls ate like champs which lately is very rare. It was great to have some adult conversation too. I enjoy knowing that there our others who feel the joys and pains of life with children as we do!!

August 23, 2008

Today was a busy day. I worked last night and I have to work again tonight. In between the trip to walmart, the trip to the farmer's market, Ally's preschool orientation and the birthday party I attempted to take a nap and forgot about the baked beans and burnt them. Oh well. The farmers market was great!! I got some awesome looking corn on the cob. I haven't cooked it yet but I can't wait. I bought some of the biggest, sweetest blackberries (Yummy!) and some green beans too. Jerry took Ally to pre-school orientation. She was upset that she couldn't stay. The girl loves school. The birthday party was great. The kids had a blast and the weather was beautiful. Other than my burnt baked beans the food was awesome! After putting the kids down for bed around 8 pm I tried to sneak a nap in before work. Ansley just wouldn't sleep though, which is very rare for her. I finally got her up and brought her into the bed with me. I love snuggling up with my girls. They are so sweet. I wonder if they will ever comprehend how much I adore them. Motherhood is awesome!! I love my girls!! Now it's off to work, who needs sleep anyway?!

August 22, 2008

Yup Ansley is still 2. She looks sweet and innocent but the tantrums are daily and escalating. I know I shouldn't laugh but it's hard not to. She gets so upset over the silliest things. Half the time she doesn't even know what she wants. This morning she got upset because Jerry was wrestling with me and she thought he was hurting me. "Don't hurt my mommy, daddy!" It was cute. She is now a nummy nummy monster. Potty training is going pretty well (it would be better if we could just spend a week at home) mainly due to the fact that she is motivated by the m&m's. (the "nummy nummys") She tries so hard to go even when she has nothing to do because she wants the chocolate. (A girl after my own heart) Ally's big thing right now is "let's talk" She loves to sit on the couch or snuggle in the bed and ask me questions or have me tell her a story. Today before we got in bed for a nap (I have to work tonight), she said a prayer. In it she asked that we would sleep well and that I would get to work safe. She concluded by thanking Heavenly Father for the fact that we can always be together, even after we die and go to Heaven. I love my girls!!!

Valley Falls Park

So it's back to work for me starting tonight so I thought I would take the girls out to do something fun. Ally wanted to go back to Valley Falls to swim in the lake so we packed a lunch and headed over. The weather was beautiful!! We had a picnic lunch and swam a little before coming home for naps. Mainly mine. Ally was as social as ever. She has no problem walking up to anyone and introducing herself. She had most of the beach playing with her bag of sand toys before we left. It's amazing how different they are. Ansley takes forever to warm up. She usually unglues herself long enough to play for the last few minutes before we have to pack up to come home. She is obsessed with what she calls her fingerprints in the sand. (footprints) It started at the beach this summer. It is very cute. And I am so proud of her. She is using the potty pretty exclusively. She won't go in public but uses it at friends and families houses too. Yeah!! Maybe we just bought our last case of diapers!!!

Hiking

So Jerry, the girls and I decided to trek to Valley Falls for a little hiking. It is something Jerry and I have always loved to do and the weather has been great. Today we decided to do the 2 mile hike. It was beautiful. Most of the trail ran right along side a creek. The girls loved it. Ally and Ansley are both troopers. Ally jogged most of the trail with her dad and walked the rest. Ansley spent most of the trail on one of our shoulders but only because we couldn't keep any kind of pace with her on foot. She has to stop to pick up everything and her short little legs can only go so fast. I have to say that by the end even I was tired. Ally complained in the last stretch but finished with a strong sprint to the finish. At the end of the trail we took our shoes off and splashed in the lake for a little bit. As we were headed back to the car an ice-cream truck pulled up. Ally asked, "What is that?" Poor thing has never had ice-cream off the ice-cream truck. It was 4:30 pm but what the heck, lets have ice-cream!!

After the park we stopped and picked up some sandwiches from subway and a video. While the kids and I were waiting in the car Ally strikes with another one of her profound questions.

Ally: "Where do you find a Daddy?"

Me: "What?" Maybe I misunderstood the question.

Ally: "Where do you find a Daddy? Where did you find our Daddy?" Nope I had it right the first time.

Me: "Well Ally when you get bigger you will meet boys at school and at church that you like. When you find one that you love you can marry him and he will be the daddy of your family." A little simplistic but good enough for a four year old I think.

It is at this point that Jerry comes meandering back to the car.

Me: "Ally wants to know where you find a Daddy."

Jerry: Why are you looking for a new one?" Typical Jerry

Ally: "No I was just wondering so I know where to find one when I need one for my babies."

Jerry: At church of course!"

Four and already wondering about a daddy for her family. No wonder Jerry's hair is turning white!!!

OUCH!!!

So on the way home from grocery shopping at the Price Chopper Ally asks me why some people aren't nice. So I turn off the radio and begin explaining that not everyone in the world knows about Jesus and so they don't understand how important it is to choose the right. We talked about Satan and how he tries to keep people from our Heavenly Father and how sad that was and why it was our job to tell as many people as we could about our Savior. I could see her in the back seat with the wheels in her head just turning so I asked her what was wrong. She proceeded to ask me about all the important people in her life and who's side they were on Jesus' side or Satan's. Is Grandma and Poppy on Jesus side? What about Nana and Grumps? What about Auntie? Yes Ally they all know about Jesus. She is so sweet. I could see the genuine concern for all of the people she loves. I'm sure she was planning in her head who she needed to call to tell about Jesus in her own simple way. The conversation went on and we talked about how when we choose the right we can live together as a family in heaven forever and how great that would be when out of no where Ally says,

"I love my family and I want to be with you forever but you can't go to heaven mommy."

"Hmmm......And why is that Ally?"

Ally, "Because a long time ago on the TV (she found an old home video) I saw you and daddy and you smoked and drank beer and that's not choosing the right."

Wow! And what can you really say to that!! I guess our next family home evening will have to be about repentance. LOL!!!

August 17, 2008

Today after church we went down to spend some time with family and cook out in the back yard. It was great to hang out and pig out. The girls absolutely love going over to see my Aunt, Uncle and cousins because they give them so much attention. They are totally hams!!

Warning Adult Content :)

I just had to do it. Ansley cracks me up. She wants to be big like Ally. Today I caught her blow drying her hair. I didn't even know she knew how to turn the dryer on.

Perfecting the Saints

Over the winter I was asked to speak on perfecting the saints and although my thoughts weren't needed in the end I would like to share with my friends and family what I prepared. As always the reflection and preparation taught me more than it probably would have taught anyone else. So when I was asked to speak on perfecting the saints I immediately thought about my own journey. Just to tell you a little about myself, my husband and I were tracked into and baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints a little over 4 years ago. At the time we had just bought our first home. Ally was not quite 1 years old and I was working as a nurse on the weekends to keep her out of daycare. After being baptized I knew I should be at church on Sundays but we had the perfect arrangement. At the time there was no way I could quit my job and still pay our bills so we continued on and I was rarely at church. Over time we were able to pay off debt and the decision to work was less a necessity and more a decision. I loved my job and we lived very comfortably. Last summer when Jerry was preparing to start graduate school at University of Connecticut we knew the move would be hard financially so I remained in Georgia with our home and continued to work weekends. Being apart was hard, especially when our home sold. My family was so good to me though. I was a wreck and they loved me and supported me anyway. I am blessed to have been born into such a loving and giving family. Not everyone is so lucky. This arrangement changed things though because with Jerry being in CT my work schedule meant our girls were not at church. This tormented me daily and I began to question if I had made the right decision for my family. I began praying a lot and reflecting and what I realized was that I probably had not made the right decision. So not knowing how we would make it work, and without a job, I placed all my faith in God and moved to CT. After being here and attending church in our ward only 3 weeks I made a promise to myself and my family that I would never work on Sunday again. I would keep the Sabbath holy and continue to feed my spirit. It's hard to look back now because for a while I questioned the Lord. I Asked him why Jerry wasn't accepted into University of Georgia's program when he was perfectly qualified. I pitied myself for having to leave my home and what I thought was the perfect work arrangement for my family, not realizing it was part of the plan all along. Moving my family across the country was the only way I would come to realize that I was putting worldly things ahead of my spiritual growth. I know that my Father in Heaven wants me here. I know that I am far from what He wants me to be but I feel like I have taken a step in the right direction. As members of this church, as families and as individuals we can all work toward perfecting ourselves by 1. increasing our faith in Christ, 2. Following the teaching of apostles and prophets through scripture study, 3. protecting ourselves from the wickedness of the world by immersing ourselves in things that our righteous and 4. developing strong healthy families and friendships. In doing this we will not only continue on our journey to perfecting ourselves but will be better equipped to protect ourselves from the wickedness of the world. After all Satan is all around us. He knows us well. He knows our weaknesses and he will prey upon them. I want to leave you with my testimony, that I know this church is true. That our Father in Heaven loves us and that if we heed his guidance and work to become more like Christ we will be truly blessed in this life and beyond. These things I leave with you in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

August 6, 2008

So Ansley is definately two. She is very shy around people she doesn't know but around the ones she does know and is comfortable around she is wide open. She talks and sings constantly and loves to antagonize Ally. Although I must say, most times she has it coming. So her new thing is she will call me, "mommy" If I don't answer right away, (usually because I am talking to someone or I don't hear her she will call again only this time louder, "mommmy!!" If I don't answer again she calls me by my name, "Gina, Gina Gina!!" She gets so mad if she doesn't get just what she wants when she wants it. She is getting good at pitching fits know too!! The other day she got so mad and threw herself onto the floor. I know I shouldn't laugh but it is so funny. Half the time I don't even think she knows what she's mad about. The battle lately has been keeping the juice in the kitchen. She know she is supposed to but she constantly takes it throughout the house where it gets spilled. So tonight after baths I found the juice in her room and told her to take it back downstairs. Her solution: Throw the juice down the stairs and then look at me and say, "nah nah, I throwed my juice down the stairs mommy!" Uggg, this is one of those moments where I could really hurt her.

Blueberry Picking

Today we went blueberry picking for the first time with the Victorino's. I have always wanted to take Ally because she loves them so much and I knew she would enjoying picking them, which she did. Ansley wanted no part of it though so all we got was what Ally picked. It was a decent amount but definitely not enough to freeze for the winter so we will have to come back and try it again.

August 4, 2008

Today my neighbor and I took our kids to Valley Falls Park to swim. It was our first time going and the kids loved it. The pond is the perfect size and their is plenty of grass and sand. They had a ball.


Dinner proved interesting tonight as we have a new picky eater. Sometimes Ansley eats great and other times I can't get her to eat at all. So tonight we are at the table and Ansley will have no part of the green beans. I tell her it's ok if she doesn't want them but she won't be having any of the treat after family home evening. This changes things and she appears to be eating them. WRONG!!! She is merely strategically placing them inside the pocket of her bib. I notice this just before she places the last one and the pocket and yells "all done!!" Two and already way tooo smart!! I give her props, it was a really valiant effort!!




So we have been having some issues with the girls fighting. Many times the fighting is about cleaning up. Ally despises it. So much so that after helping her clean up the playroom the other day she looked at Ansley and said, "We can't play with the toys anymore Ansley because I don't want to make a mess and have to clean up again!" I had to laugh. So it started as bickering and has slowly progressed to yelling, crying and sometimes even hitting. Shocking for those of you with kids of your own I know, but lately it just seems to be constant, so our family home evening for tonight was about feelings. I think it went pretty well. We talked about all of the different feelings and how we should handle them. At the end of the lesson Ally said, "I will help you clean up mom because I always want you to smile and be happy." How cute!! As if cleaning up is the way to happiness. Hey if it makes her clean up I am all for it!!

The Drive Home

Friday August 1st

11:38 am We hit the road!!
12:35 pm Ally, "Are we still in Georgia??" as we make our first 5 min stop in Elberton Ga. "Yes Ally we have only been in the car 1 hour. And it begins....
12:39 South Carolina line
1:35 We stop for Zaxby's one last time. Ummm Good!!
2:35 Gas up at $3.62 a gallon and hit the road. We are headed for Spartanburg.
3:14 North Carolina line
3:38 Ally, "I miss Kk and Lyssa." Me too, Let's turn around!!
3:40 Thank you Jesus, the little angels are sleeping.
5:00 Nap times over and the whining begins....
5:25 Quick stop in North Carolina.
5:40 On the road again, just can't wait to get on the road again....
6:41 Ally, "Are we in Florida yet?" Obviously we need to work on our geography a bit. Followed by "Where is the hotel?, I'm sweaty! My heiny hurts!!" And Ansley who wants me to "look mommy!" at everything she sees out her window. Oh how I love traveling!!! And to think we are still 20 miles from the Virgina state line with 580 more miles in the trip to go!! Yippie!!!!
7:00 pm Quick stop at the Virgina state line.
7:15 On the road again...........
8:30 Gas up at $3.82 a gallon and eat at good ole Micky Dee's. Ally won't eat. Not even the ice-cream sundae. We'd better call it a night.
9:45 pm To the hotel we go.......
10:25 The 3rd attempt to find a decent hotel. Ally is throwing up in the parking lot! Well that would explain why even ice-cream was a no go. Thank you God she wasn't in the car. 500 miles with throw up in the floor board may have been more than even I could take. Into the hotel we go. First room is full of boxes. OK, easy mistake they are using this one for storage. Back to the desk. New key, new room. Jerry goes to get the bags. This room has no sheets on the beds and there is a toilet in the bedroom area.
10:34 pm We're leaving. On to the 4th attempt at finding a decent place to stay.
11:04 Hated to do it but we're at a motel. Crazy but much nicer than the hotel from hell!!
11:25 Everyone is in bed. Ahhh, Nite Nite!!

Saturday August 2nd

9:35 am Ansley poops on the potty!! Yeah Ansley!!
9:45 On the road AGAIN..... 466 miles. About 7 more hours on the road. "I think I can, I think I can......"
10:05 Ally is already asleep. Obviously she is not well.
11:07 DC traffic. Ugggg
11:35 Detour
12:40 pm Stop for lunch in Maryland.
1:30 Back on the road.
2:02 Delaware state line. The girls are sleeping. Traffic is soooo bad. Maybe I'll take a nap!!
2:58 We're moving again. Yippie!! Only one hour wasted in this stupid car.
3:00 New Jersey state line, ahhhh progress.
4:32 Gas up on the turnpike for $3.85 a gallon. Quick potty break.
5:00 Back on the road. 152 miles to go. GPS says 2.5 hours.
5:50 George Washington Bridge traffic. Oh crap the toll is $8.00, I have $4.00. I call Jerry. He has exactly $8.00. Crap, start scrounging for change. What am thinking. Damn my compulsive cleaning. There's no change in here and we are past the last exit. Jerry's calling. We are saved by mom and the $2 dollar bill. (I'll save this story for another blog entry). Jerry has 2 $2 dollar bills in his wallet. We have just enough. Just for giggles I ask the toll guy what happens when you don't have enough to pay. Oh they bill you in the mail, $35.00 dollars that is. Robbery. Thank goodness for mom and the $2 dollar bills. Thankfully that is the last toll.
6:00 Just kidding. Another toll. We pull off the last exit. Finally find some random gas station with an ATM and withdraw $20.00. So I figure the $1.50 toll cost us more like $10.00 when you count the $6 dollars in fees we had to pay to withdraw it.
6:38 Connecticut state line. I thought it would never happen.
7:20 Oh my gosh I think I just saw a sign for 91 north!!
8:03 Five miles from the house. Ally "I miss Kk and Lyssa, lets go back" Not on your life!! It's subway and BED!!!!!!!!!!!

Bye, bye Georgia!

Today we are taking off to go back to Connecticut. It has been a great summer. We have seen most of our friends and family and have done many fun things. The hospital didn't have too much work for me so I got a lot of rest too. It is going to be hard to leave but it will be nice to get back into a routine. So goodbye friends and family in Georgia. Connecticut here we come!