Votong Day!

I find myself getting all excited to vote. Kind of like on my birthday or something. I just think it's exciting to be able to go out and have my voice heard. Remember to vote!

Halloween

Halloween was super fun this year. The kids got a lot of candy!!! We started the evening in town trick-or-treating on main street and at the Hall of Fame where daddy was handing out candy. Then we participated in the Halloween parade. The kids had fun looking at all of the other costumes and meeting friends from school. After the parade we trick-or-treated in surrounding neighborhoods until the kids had had enough and then headed home.

Ella the pink meowy

When we got home the kids hit the neighbors and visited the firehouse for cider and doughnuts with dad, while mom handed out candy. My favorite part of the night was when the headless horseman came riding up and down the street on his big black horse. I don't know who he was, but he was dressed as the headless horseman, complete with jack o lantern under his arm. The sound of the horse's hooves on the road was very halloween-y. The kids were very impressed.

Superman and the Flash

So far the kids have regulated themselves pretty well with the candy. I wish I could say the same for Mom! :) And of course they are already planning next year's costumes. George wanted to know if we could start making his today. sigh. They don't give me much of a break.

Winter Wonderland

George, Isaac and the neighbor girl by their little snowman

We had our first winter storm this week. We only had about 4 inches at our house, but surrounding areas got a lot more and there were many people without power for awhile. School was canceled much to the joy of the kids who spent hours and hours playing outside.

It was Ella's first time in the snow (she was not walking last winter) and she was a little wary. Once we sat her in the sled she was fine and stayed there for about 45 minutes.

Isaac and Ella on the sled

Preschool

Isaac lived through his first week of preschool! He was so excited to go to school like his brother and seems to be liking school very much. Going 5 mornings a week has made him very tired and we have tried to get him to take a day off to rest, but he refuses to stay home. He's impressed me with abilities heretofor unkown-especially when in comes to drawing. Today he came home with a family portrait that was pretty impressive for a 3 year old.

George is getting braver at soccer. He'll actually kick the ball when it comes to him now. He does really well in practice and is one of the best on the team, but he doesn't like to get into the shuffle around the ball when playing a game. Maybe by the end of the season we'll have broken through his fears. He's a good little athlete.

Cheeky Monkeys

I didn't think my kindergartener coming home with bad habits would start this soon, but apparently I was wrong. G has taken to calling people all sorts of names. This morning when I called him upstairs to comb his hair (he hates combing his hair) he called me a "spit face." I immediately made it very clear that I did not appreciate his behavior. He marched downstairs and announced to Benji that "Mom is a piece of garbage." Needless to say, he was a bit late getting off for school due to his time-out. Help!

On a more positive note-Ella's cheeky-ness is kind of funny. This morning Iyah marched in the room and got as far as, "Mom, Ella..." before Ella, hot on his heals, started yelling, "No talking! No talking Iyah!" I guess she didn't relish being tattled on. She had been stealing army men from George's room. She also said the funniest thing yesterday. We were eating trail mix and she kept asking for "a-b's." What? I finally figured out she meant M&Ms. I guess she remembered that they were called by a letter of the alphabet but could only remember A and B. It's the only part of trail mix she likes.

Kindergarten!

He did it! He survived the first (and second) day of Kindergarten! As you can tell, it was a very sunny and hot day. Cooperstown Elementary does a fun first day. The parents are invited for the whole (shortened) day. We did a bus safety drill, got to know the classroom, had a picnic lunch, and saw a fun concert. It was a good way for the kids to get to know their new surroundings. They also gave the kids a t-shirt that says "Cooperstown Kindergarten" on it and after school we walked up and down center street to different stores who handed out treats to all the new kindergarteners that were wearing their shirt. It made them feel very special.


George was a little nervous this morning going by himself for the first time, but settled right in and got off the bus this afternoon with a big smile and a big hug for mom! When I asked him what he did today he said, " I don't really remember." I'm thinking-you've been gone ALL DAY and you don't "really remember" what you did? I did manage to extract some information: he built a robot with a new friend, Alex, he went to music and art class, and played outside. He also told me, "We haven't really started to learn yet."

I'm so proud of my big boy! What a super kid.

Ta-da!

We finally finished painting the boys' room. It only took us all summer to get around to it! Aren't the stripes cool? Someday we are going to be really good at things like this...we have learned a lot!
Next...school here we come!

She's 2!!!

It's hard to believe that my little girl is 2! She is such a sweetheart. By far the best natured little thing I've ever experienced! When I asked her on her birthday if she is a big girl now that she is 2, she said, "No, I little." I'm so glad she's not ready to grow up yet! And she is little. When we took her in for her check up she scored in the 10% for height. Kind of a change for my family! The doctor kept trying to reassure me that just because she's little now doesn't mean she will be forever. He said, "You're tall so she definitely has potential." I just told him is doesn't matter how big she is, we love her how she is!

This is a picture of the Butterfly Cupcake Cake that I made to take to storytime for Ella' s birthday. The theme for the summer reading program this year was bugs and we were reading about butterflies on Ella's birthday. She was very adamant about wanting chocolate cake with "pint" (pink) frosting.

Happy Birthday E, we love you!

8 Years!

Today we celebrate 8 years of wonderfulness! I can't believe it! I am so lucky to have found such a great companion who is so understanding and such a good father to our 3 beautiful children. I look forward to many more years to come. Thank you and I love you babe!

The Good Old Days

I just spent a nostalgic afternoon listening to my old Ace of Base CD that I unearthed up while I was in Utah. Those were the days! It's amazing how music triggers memories long forgotten. I also found a No Doubt CD that I don't believe is mine. So, if any of you who read this Blog are missing your No Doubt CD (maybe from Sophmore year at BYU?) let me know and I'll mail it to you!

Utah Trip

I'm finally getting around to posting now that we are back from our Utah trip. It was a great 3 weeks! The kids had a blast and it was good for me to see my family. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Jessica!One of the kids most favorite activities was jumping on the trampoline. Ella's hair always stood straight out because of all the static. I think I might want to get a tramp. I cannot tell you how nice it was to have a the kids entertain themselves for hours!

The kids loved being able to play with their cousin Jackson so much. They went swimming and jumped on the tramp and we went to the zoo and Thanksgiving point and all kinds of things together. We will really miss Jackson. It was fun to see them build a relationship.

We're glad to be back home with Benji and our own house, but it's hard to leave my family not knowing when I'll be able to see them again. We love you family and are saving our pennies to come see you again!

Yummy

This picture of E doesn't really have anything to do with anything, but I thought it was cute. I haven't posted for along time. I decided to take a break from slow internet-only checking e-mail and doing neccesary things. But, the bug returned and I'm feeling the need to be in contact with the world again.

Summer is here! G graduated from pre-school a few weeks ago and we went to his kindergarten screening yesterday. I can't believe I have a kid starting real school! He is very excited and I'm feeling sad and nervous but excited too.

I wanted to let people know that we are going to be in Utah July 10-29 so if anyone is going to be there at the same time let me know! We would love to see some friends. The kids are super excited to see their grandparents and the dog too. It's all Iyah talks about. Ready or not Grandma and Grandpa here we come!

Spring!

Look at our pretty tree! Don't you love springtime? George told me yesterday that he wished it would snow so he could play in it. Go figure. I told him it would snow again soon enough! This tree in our front yard is so fun this time of year. I love walking outside and listening to the hum of all the bees buzzing around in there. It literally vibrates.

NYC

The Boys in Central Park

I'm a little bit late posting about our family trip to the Big Apple because I've been sick ever since we got home this past weekend. However, we had a blast! The kids did really well and we really enjoyed ourselves. We were so fortunate to have generous friends that let us use their apartment on West Central Park Ave so we had a very nice place to stay for free!

The first day-Wed- we spent the afternoon at the Bronx zoo. I was excited to see the giraffes and Iyah really liked the lions. El was fascinated by the 'big meow' (tiger). After dinner we explored some of Central Park.

Thursday we went to the Metropolitan Museum and saw the Egypt exhibit and G's favorite- the Arms and Armory exhibit (lots of suits of armor), and then did the Time Square-shopping stuff. The kids loved all the big buildings and TV billboards and toy stores. We had dinner at MARS 2112. The boys were in heaven, but were a little bit wary of the aliens walking around.

Friday we took the Staten Island ferry and road past the Statue of Liberty. G asked all kinds of questions and brushed us up on all of our American History. We went to Battery park after and watched the street performers and walked through Chinatown and Little Italy. After dinner we headed to the Manhattan Children's Museum which the kids loved although it was kind of a mad house!

Saturday we went and saw the Temple and were planning on walking around the Lincoln Center Plaza, but it was under construction. We spent the rest of the day in Central Park-riding the carousel, eating hot dogs & pretzels, watching the horses, and playing on the playgrounds! G really liked the castle and almost gave me a heart attack trying to climb on top of the high walls to see over the side.

It was fun to finally see the big city- this was my first time! True to form I forgot my camera a lot of the time and this picture of the boys is the only one I remembered to take in low resolution so that I could post it on the blog with our slow Internet. Thank you daddy for planning a fun vacation for us! We love you.

Gardening

Well, it's been awhile since I last blogged. The weather turned nice and we've been spending a lot of time in the great outdoors. I decided to expand our garden a little bit this year so I've been digging up grass in the back yard. It's amazing what people dump in their own back yards. Here is a list of some of the things I've found...

1. An old coat hanger
2. A rusted out can of RAID
3. Electrical wiring (old-not like the stuff we use today)
4. Metal pipes
5. Insulation
6. A seashell
7. Lots of glass-green, clear, white, etc.
8. A 2x4
9. Random pieces of metal
10. I can't remember

It makes me wonder what I would find if I dug up more than a 4 foot space, and is it even safe to eat vegetables grown in such dirt? I guess we'll find out.

Ella has been hilarious to watch outside. She wasn't walking last summer so this is her first real experience with the outdoors. When I first put her down, she sat on her bottom and lifted her legs and arms in the air so nothing would get dirty. Now she's the complete opposite. I can't keep her out of the dirt. She swims in it. I'll look over and she'll be on her belly sifting her fingers through the dirt and staring at it from an inch away just enthralled. It's fun to see her get dirty. The boys of course could spend all day running and digging and riding bikes. It's so nice to have spring finally here!

Just Some Pictures

My very own Warrior Princess

Big Cheeses

Look at her flex those muscles!

The Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Maker?

Snip Snip

We had our first experience with one of our kids cutting their own hair. Luckily it's just on little bald patch up on top. Iyah got a little scissor happy when I was giving G a haircut. At first he was really pleased with himself, but after he saw my reaction he changed his mind. At first I was kind of upset with the little guy, but honestly, it's one of those things where the natural consequences are much harder than anything I could say or do. EVERYONE comments on it when they see him and I see him getting sad and teary when people laugh. I know he wishes he'd never picked up those darn scissors. I keep telling him it's okay and that hair grows back quickly. If it wasn't so cold out I'd just give him a buzz. Maybe I still should. What do you think?

Good Music

Great music transcends all boundaries/barriers, as I was reminded yesterday. I was driving home with the kids from an afternoon of crazy shopping and I just couldn't handle the "kiddie music" any more. So, I popped some Beatles into the CD player and settled in for the drive. About half way through the first song my 3 year old pipes up from the back seat, "Turn it up, Mommy!" Gotta love it!

Played

Today I was played for a fool by my 18 month old daughter. As mentioned in the previous entry we had a doctor's appointment today for my little sweetheart. As also mentioned previously I was a little bit reticent about having to admit that she wasn't walking yet (especially since I felt like it was a power issue). Well, we went to the appointment and I talked to the doc and he confirmed that there is nothing whatsoever wrong with her but said that if she wasn't walking in the next month we might need to take steps to try to encourage her in that direction. We left and came home and within the hour...yep siree, she walked! She was standing there in the middle of the room and Benj said, "Walk to mom" and she did! I about fell over. And let me tell you, I've never seen anyone more proud of themselves than she was. She was practically turning cartwheels and was laughing out loud. It was the greatest! What a crazy bean!

He's Three!

As usual, I'm a bit tardy posting these pictures. I keep putting it off because my internet connection is so slow. But I have to announce to the world that Isaac is three! He's been telling everyone, "I supposed to be two, but now I three!" After watching George have a birthday, he couldn't wait for it to be his turn. We had a pretty mellow day. Chicken nuggets for the birthday dinner and cake, ice cream and presents afterwards. He was a pretty happy guy. I think the favorite present he received was his imaginex dinosaur. The boys have spent hours locking Ella out of their room so they could set up all of their super hero figures for the dinosaur to tromp down. It roars and walks around knocking things down. They love it.

The weather here has been really cold. We had a big storm this week that covered everything in a fresh layer of snow. It's the time of year when I start feeling like spring is never going to get here. The boys love the snow though. They could spend hours out there. We built a snow man the other day and during the night someone decapitated it. The boys were so mad. I've never heard such threats as were coming out of their mouths. Iyah was literally shaking. Ella also got her first real ride on the sled. She didn't like it one bit. I thought she would cry, but she didn't. She just kept yelling over and over, "No, mama, no!" Like I was being bad. :)

Tomorrow is Ella's 18 month check-up. I'm a bit embarrassed to have to tell the doc that she's still not walking. She stands by herself in the middle of the floor, but every time I suggest she walk she sits right down and says, "No!" A bit of a power struggle going on I think?

Sweet Girl

Little Ella's new hobby is climbing into and onto anything and everything. In this particular instance she wedged herself inside a small baskett. She was so proud of herself. If course, she also has two obliging brothers who don't hesitate to shove her over when she's in a precarious situation. The worst example of this happened last week when George, who was sitting at the the top of the stairs, gave her a "little nudge" with his feet as she climbed toward him. She took quite a fall. Ah siblings. But she sure bounces back quickly and is a very happy sweet girl. As you can see in the picture, she's learned that the phrase "say cheese" means smile big! She truly is a joy to me every single day.

Birthday Bash

My first cake decorating attempt

I'm a little bit late posting these pictures from George's birthday party on Saturday. Things have been crazy the last two day trying to rebuild the room we tore apart. The party was crazy-as you would expect with a truck load of 4-5 year olds. The best part of the afternoon was watching how excited they all were to give George the presents they brought. Talk about the spirit of giving! But George had a great time so the fact that some of the games didn't go off too well hardly matters. Mom and Dad are just glad it's over!

Making a wish

The Group

Hinckley Challenge

I've joined the Hinckley Challenge at the recommendation of my good friend.(You know who you are :)) I was late joining so I'm a little behind but I'm determined to catch up in time to complete the challenge. I thought that posting my progress on the blog might help me stay motivated on those days when I could fall asleep walking and don't feel like reading my scriptures. Bad I know. If any of you would like to join go to http://www.hinckleychallenge.com/. I would do that nifty thing where you write click HERE and it sends you there, but I'm not that computer savvy.

Demo Day

So, we've started our first big home improvement project. This morning Benji and his friend tore out our plaster and lathe ceiling and wall. It was quite the mess, but we are excited to be on our way. Yeah!

Saving the World

I've returned to the land of the bloggers. We had a wonderful Christmas in Utah and Idaho visiting family, and George just had his 5th birthday. Whew! I think I'm getting old! One of the biggest highlights of our trip to Utah for me was watching Ella fall in love with Grandpa. They were pretty inseperable. She really misses her Grandpa. Another highlight was playing with cousins. The boys had so much fun! There were a million other highlights that I won't go into right now.

As you can see, dressing up is the number 1 activity at our house. The boys are always one super hero or another. So, I thought I'd share some of our most recent adventures: The Incredibles with cousin Jack, the Ninjas, and the Power Ranger.

Before I log off I just need to share our doctor experience from today. We are having an ice/sleet storm today so I had to brave the roads to get George to his scheduled check-up. When we got there the doctor told us that he would be getting some shots today to get him all set for kindergarten in the fall. You would have thought that the world ended. George was crying and screaming and fighting me. I had to pin the kid down so that the nurse could give him his shots. Is this a normal 5 year old reaction? Because I don't remember loosing it like that when I got my kindergarten shots. Anyway, in the parking lot on the way to the car we were still a little worked up and George slipped and fell in the slush. Instead of standing up quick so he didn't get more wet, he simply sat in the big cold puddle and screamed like a girl at the top of his lungs (I heard it echo off of the ice laden Susquehanna River) and then yelled for everyone to hear, "I just can't do this!" It was a pretty dramatic moment. I laughed at him, and I think every person in that parking lot thought I was a mean, terrible mother. The kicker is that after all of this he wanted to know if he had been brave enough to get his treat, because of course I had bribed him. What was I going to say? "No you weren't really brave enough." That's what I get for bribing my kids.