Happy Birthday Melissa!

So one of the pluses to moving back to Connecticut is being able to see all of my friends from high school. Tonight was one of those nights as one of my very good friends turns thirty this week. Her family threw a great surprise party for her and we had a great time!! Hard to believe we've been out of school almost 12 years now. I guess Ally's right, I am getting old!!

Me Old?

So today I was down in the playroom playing with the girls. We were on the floor for a while and when I went to stand up I guess I must have groaned because Ally said, "I know mom, it's hard to get up when you're old." Ouch!!

Thanksgiving in Vernon

Today we celebrated Thanksgiving again at home. I have to have turkey leftovers and when you don't host you totally miss out that so I have decided that from now on I will make a turkey at home too. We roasted it upside down, advice from my cousin Stephanie, and it was awesome! It was by far the ugliest turkey I have even made but it tasted the best! The missionaries from our ward came too. Elder Tanner and Elder Farmer thanks for all your help and for dragging our enormous Christmas tree upstairs for the holidays.

Happy Thanksgiving

Today we spent the morning watching the Macy's day parade. The girls loved it. They really enjoyed the floats. At one point a McDonald's float went by and both were so excited. Then Ally saw a man dressed like Ronald McDonald and went, "Look mom, he's really alive!" Too cute! Ally ending up giving her gift of goldfish to Ansley who she knew would share them. Ansley is the best at sharing, especially for a two year old. She immediately said, "I share with you Ally" and even gave her the first fish. For dinner we went and spent the day with family. It was a great day. We have so much to be Thankful for!!

Thanksgiving Play

Today was Ally's Thanksgiving Play at school. The parents were invited to watch as Mrs. Oliphant put on a puppet show for the kids about giving on Thanksgiving. Throughout the puppet show different characters gave something away causing a ripple effect or pay it forward type scenario. The chorus of the play was "On Thanksgiving Day, On Thanksgiving Day, if you want to be happy, give something away." At the end of the show there was a knock at the door and a surprise for all of the children. As part of the lesson the kids had made gifts that they are supposed to give away to someone they see on Thanksgiving Day. It was really cute and well done and the kids really enjoyed it. By the end they were chanting the chorus too!

Tonight for family home evening we talked again about why we celebrate Thanksgiving and made Turkey hats. The girls loved them and they look too cute wearing them! We are still working on our Thanks and Giving trees too.

The Diet Coke

So most people know that it has been very hard going from a decent sized home with a basement to a condo. You probably also know that I am a sale shopper which means I keep stock at all times so I don't have to buy anything when it's not on sale. The issue has been where to store it. Up until today the back deck has been a great place for drinks because they are always cold when you want them. Tonight however Jerry could hear this loud popping coming from the outside. It was the diet coke cans expanding. So he did what he thought was the right thing, he brought them in. Unfortunately it was too late. He brought them in just in time for them to begin exploding right in my clean kitchen. Those of you that know me well know that this was probably way worse!! I appreciated the effort though. Nice try babe!! We will just have to find a better place for our drinks.

The Big Breakfast

Since we've been married with kids I have always made a big breakfast on the first morning of Jerry's break from school. Probably because of the guilt of sending him to school every morning with junk he could prepare due to the fact that I was not getting up before the kids. So it's been quite a while since I have done it. He's not getting up quite so early anymore and he usually gets something prepared for him but today I figured what the hey, he's on a break from school maybe we should reignite the tradition of the big breakfast. The girls loved it! I made pancakes, eggs and sausage. Neither of them could eat enough sausage. I am sure they don't remember the earlier days of the tradition but they can't wait for daddy's next break!

Ansley the Clown

Ansley cracks me up. She loves to go down to the playroom and dig through the dress up and then come upstairs to show us her new gettup. She loves to dress up. Ally did at this age too! This one was too cute not to post though. I love this pic!!

Native American Days

Ally has been learning all about Native Americans at school so today the kids were supposed to go in dressed as such. Too bad her mom has way to many things to remember and forgot. She looked great in all her accessories and is such a great kid. She didn't even care.

I wish you Enough

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter
how gray the day may appear.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.
I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.

Thanks and Giving

So the girls and I have been talking a lot about what Thanksgiving really means and why we celebrate it. I have some really great books that we have been reading at night before bed too. To go along with this one of my friends had passed me the link to a site with a great kids activity. The site is chocolateonmycranium.blogspot.com and the activity is Thanks and Giving Trees. The idea is you print out a Thanks tree and a Giving tree and each night each member of the family writes out on a leaf something they are thankful for and something they did for someone else that day and then paste the leaf on the appropriate tree. You do this each night leading up to Thanksgiving and at the end you have a beautiful tree filled with leaves. I thought it was a cute idea even for younger kids so we are going to give it a try.

The Tooth Fairy

So the tooth fairy box arrived from Grandma, jammies too! Grandma's are GREAT!! Ansley got a pink sleeper which she is so excited about. So we put the tooth in the box last night and this morning the tooth was gone! Ally was super excited about the two dollar bill she got. Jerry insisted. Inflation is going to kill us all. I said at $2 a tooth we're looking at $40 dollars worth of baby teeth. At that rate I hope the tooth fairy is turning them into gold fairy dust. A little pricey if you ask me but Jerry is a sucker for the $2 dollar story. You should have seen us scrambling to find one locked in the foot locker under the TV. It was quite amusing. As is everything when Jerry is around. It was way worth it though. She was so proud of that $2 bill. She came running into our room waving it first thing this morning. Too cute!

It's Freezing!

So it looks like winter will come after all. Today was a really cold day. I took the kids to the park after their nap, (it looks dark but I swear it's barely 4:30pm) They really wanted nothing to do with playing though. Their poor little hands were like ice cubes on the metal playground equipment. We even saw a few snow flurries for the few minutes we were out.

The Primary Program

Today Ally participated in her first Primary Program at church. She loves to perform and now the entire church knows it. Out of about 80 children Ally was singing the loudest. You could hear her very clearly. Many of the members commented on her singing. She was so proud to be up there performing for the ward. When it was her turn to speak she walked right up to the microphone and recited her lines without any help or prompting. She memorized her line (The Prophet teaches me what I must do to live with God again.) and was so pleased. She is such a little performer.

Good Morning Kisses

Last night I was having trouble sleeping so I went down to the couch. This morning around 8 O'clock I could hear the girls upstairs playing. They were playing nicely so I was going in and out of consciousness. What I finally woke up to was adorable. I could feel the two of them over me and I could hear Ally whispering don't wake her up. I kept my eyes closed while Ally pulled the covers over me and then I felt a pair of little Ansley lips plant a kiss on my mouth. It was adorable. What a great way to wake up on a Saturday morning. I love my girls!!

Just one of those days

Today has been one of those days that's just harder all the way around. I worked last night and have been up all day which is no fun. But this afternoon while the kids played with moon sand at the table (thanks Uncle David), I decided I would catch up on the thousands of emails in my inbox. One of which was very difficult to read. The very first missionary to track into us has come out and said he is gay and has left the church because of it. I don't know if it's the lack of sleep or what but I have sobbed uncontrollably since reading it. I am not upset that he's gay (I think I have always suspected it), I just can't believe he's left the church. He was an incredible missionary. He was the reason Jerry and I took so long to commit to baptism. We just didn't think we could live like this guy. My heart is broken for the choice he's made and I pray everyday that someday he will come back. He said something on his blog that really struck me. He said he went out on a mission and did the very best he could because he hoped if he did God would help him fall in love with a girl. I cannot even imagine how hard things have been for him over the last couple of years, especially given the church's views on homosexuality. It's funny, we all get different burdens in our lives. Some of us are short, some are maybe missing a limb, some blind and some are gay. I'd like to think that the stronger and more faithful the person, the bigger the burden. I don't think it matters that he is gay, what I think does matter is the choices he makes. The whole thing is pretty depressing. Jerry and I have always figured him for an apostle one day (the guy was unbelievable). Hearing he's left the church makes me wonder what hope there is for someone ordinary like me enduring till the end. So this evening instead of sleeping I went to the church with my family. After cleaning up a HUGE moon sand mess (thank you again Uncle David). Ally had a rehearsal for her primary program tonight and church really is one of my favorite places to be. Just being in the building makes me happy. The kids were adorable and it totally cheered me up. The drive home was rather comical too. Coming home, Ansley decides she is going to start chanting "Damn it" from her car seat. I try to ignore it but Ally, (mommy number 2), hears her and immediately tells her she is saying a bad word. So we do the right thing and Jerry reprimands Ansley, telling her that it's naughty to say bad words. To which Ally replies, "Well you say bad words too Dad. I heard you say shit." Fantastic, now they are both swearing. I love motherhood, there's never a dull moment and it really keeps you quite humble!


The Huge moon sand mess


Eating pizza at the primary program rehearsal

November 11, 2008

I hope we were all mindful of those who have served for our country over the years with a humble and thankful heart. Even in a country striken with economic ruin we have so much to be thankful for. We live in an incredibly great nation. May God bless America. Happy Veteran's Day!!

We've lost our 1st Tooth

Today Ally lost her first baby tooth on isle 4 of the Price Chopper today. She has been bumping it frequently and hurting it when she eats. It was a little after 11:00 when she starting whining about bumping it and then said, "There's something in my mouth, it's my tooth!" Yea, and mommy didn't have to pull it out! She was ecstatic and told everyone at school all about it when she got there. She is so proud. I guess the tooth fairy will be paying us a visit soon.

Super Saturday

Today was Super Saturday in our ward. It was my first and it was a great time. I learned a few new crafts, made some nice treats and even learned how to bake bread and cake in jars for my food storage. It was a nice break from the daily grind and great to be around soooo many great women.

On a side note Jerry called me at work. He let the girls stay up super late because we napped until 5 pm. Ansley was fine. Ally had a melt down around 10:15 pm. She came upstairs from the playroom to tell Jerry she was going to bed. He told her to wait a minute and she broke down crying and yelling that she "needed a minute to herself" and that "no one in this family loves me" Sooooooooo mellow dramatic. I feel we should start praying for the strength to endure her teenage years now. LOL!! :)

November 11, 2008

So today Ally finally got her Birthday gift from Jerry and I. We of coarse celebrated with more cake. We couldn't pass up a perfect opportunity for cake and she opened her very late gift. (As she was opening it Ansley announced that is was a trampoline. The child doesn't forget anything. I swear when Ally was almost a year older than she is now I was still buying her Santa gifts with her in the shopping cart.) We got her a small trampline to replace the large outdoor one we had to give away before we moved. She doesn't know we gave it away but we did. Last year while we were at the beach we had some friends disassemble it and take it. A couple of days after we got back (during Ansley's birthday party actually), she came to me distraught. Someone had "taked her jumpoline!" It was heart breaking. I am so sorry Ally. One day, when you are older you'll understand. Until then, yes, some mean horrible ogre stole it while we were at the beach!


Ansley enjoying every last morsel

November 5, 2008

I love being a mom. I look at my girls and every day they do something that makes me smile. Ansley is getting so big and she is sooooo smart. She talks very well and she knows what she wants. It's funny to see her really concentrating on something. She has such determination. She surprises me every day with something else she knows. The other day she told me the color of all of her M&M's. I had no idea she even knew her colors. She will spend hours making and tearing apart her wooden puzzles and even some of Ally's old 25 piece puzzles. She is very patient. She loves Ally to death. Today while Ally was at school she put on her shoes and said, "Let's go get Ally mommy, miss her." As I blog this Ally is asleep on the couch and Ansley is stroking her hair and kissing her. Ally is getting so big too. She went to a birthday party the other day and made the card all by herself. I had to write out the words on a scrap paper but she was able to write them very legibly in the card. It was great!! She was so proud of herself. She wants so badly to be big. She tells me everyday to drop her off at the front of the school so she can walk in by herself. She is always saying "You can go now." She loves school and has made a lot of friends. It's amazing what she has learned already. She is recognizing so many of the letters now and is writing so well. Her class is adorable. Most of the kids know each other by first and last name and will call each other by their full names. The kids all get along great and Ally really enjoys going.

Congratulations Senator Obama

I just wanted to take a minute to note what a great and historic day today has been. Whether or not Senator Obama was your first choice for President having elected the first African American President in this country is historic and reason to celebrate progress. People all over the world are celebrating this historic event. How great that we got to live to see it. I hope that no matter what your vote we can now put aside pettiness and support and congratulate the 44th President of the United States of America. Congratulations Senator Obama and Good Luck!! (You're gonna need it!)

Pre-K Picture Day

Ally had her school pictures today. Hopefully they will come out alright. She is very photogenic but she can be quite annoying if she isn't into be photographed. I mean, the world revolves around her doesn't it?

Canning, Canning and more Canning

So the pressure canner cooker is here and fresh chicken breast was on sale at Bogners for $1.19 a lb. So I figured I'd give canning meat a try. At that price if I messed it up I couldn't get too upset. All in all it went pretty well. Prep is the hardest part. That and getting used to the canner. Now that I have done it once it will be a breeze. So here it is 20 lbs of canned chicken. I'll let you know how it tastes in a couple of weeks.

Ally Humor

So today a couple of the girls Jerry has class with wanted to take the girls to one of the local apple orchards to pick apples for pie. Our girls had a great time picking the smallest apples they could find (mommy had a great time making pie with them) but I really think that the women who took them had a better time. I have found over the last five years that although kids can be a real cramp they are also quite funny. For most of the picking Ansley was one shoulders of one of the girls. Not to leave Ally feeling left out one of the others said, "Oh I see a great apple up there, who's going to help me pick it?" To which Ally replied with the appropriate body language, "Ah, I think you're too big for me hold." Like duh, I thought these girls were graduate students. Oh Ally, only 5 yet so wise.